Need to Clear Up Using Wax in Final Rubout on Kitchen Table
user-210490
| Posted in General Discussion on
There seems to be real disagreement on this. Some have recommended the steel wool and wax. Others have said not to do this. And an article in FWW states that wax is a “waste of time” on a kitchen table that will be wiped with a damp cloth. Is it that the wax will somehow get wiped off, I thought the wax would be impervious to water when well buffed in? Hopefully I can get better clarity on these differing viewpoints. Thanks.
Replies
I wouldn't bother using wax on a hard-use item such as a kitchen table. But it won't hurt anything either.
Keep in mind their are many kinds of wax. I wouldn't use something as soft as beeswax on a kitchen table.
There is nothing wrong with a good paste wax if that is what you like. It will offer some protection for a while, but will need to be replenished frequently to be effective. This will vary depending on use. Some say it is not worth it and that is also fine.
In my opinion, if you have a highly polished surface, don't use steel wool to apply it. It will only dull the surface. Follow directions on the can or bottle and use a soft cloth to apply and to buff it.
If you have a new finish that you are wanting to polish, start with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a smooth block using water as a lubricant and work by hand through 1000 and 2000 grit. Then use automotive polishing compound if you want to go farther. This will give a much higher polish than 0000 steel wool and using the smooth sanding block, it will also flatten the surface making it glass like.
Just my two cents. " . . . I thought the wax would be impervious to water when well buffed in?. . ." I don't think it does get "buffed in". I think it is just a surface coating, that gets worn off in use. And every kitchen table I know gets plates, placemats, pots pans, trivets, elbows, utensils, etc., all over them all the time. So to me its a temporary appearance thing, and no different than a coating of Pledge or other similar product.
As Stantheman says, on a dining table pretty much everything you put down will squish past the wax to the poly in short order, including shirt sleeves. If you wipe up a wine spill your wax is coming up with it. Lift the salt shaker, don't slide it!
The reason to use poly as a finish is durability. Using a less durable product to "protect" a more durable one makes no sense to me. Even the poly will get dinged sooner than you think.
Think of it as a recorded history of a life well lived, the same way you can't really enjoy a new car until it has that first nick on the bumper.
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