Apply one single coat with a brush or cloth and wait for it to dry. Not very long, an hour or so in warm conditions. Apply a coat of wax, or you can give it a second application of sanding sealer and then wax it.
Sanding Sealer is not recommended as a final finish because it is not as durable as a topcoat. Seal Sanding Sealer with any General Finishes water-based topcoat, EXCEPT General Finishes Enduro- Var, for improved water and chemical resistance.
You may consider using a sanding sealer (sold at all hardware stores) before the initial waxing/oiling, before step one, if the timber is very dry. Apply sparingly, one to three coats as required (one soft cloth to apply and one soft cloth to buff back), ensuring that the surface is dry to the touch between each coat.
Yes. Wax can be applied over almost any other wood finish including stain, oil, varnish and paint. Although we do always recommend a test area to ensure that you are happy with the result.
There are a lot of reason to finish your woodworking project with shellac and wax. They're easy to apply, for starters, and give you great results. Plus, if the finish gets damaged later, you can just apply more shellac (it'll blend right in) and more wax.
Three to four coats is generally enough to give the work a fully protective coat. The first coat seals the wood and the second gives it enough body to sand, level and recoat without cutting through these base coats.
You can apply oil-base varnish (non-poly) over shellac without any problem. And it doesn't matter if the shellac contains wax or not. The combination of a coat of shellac followed by a few coats of oil-base varnish will produce an attractive and durable natural finish.
For example, you could finish your end tables with polyurethane, lacquer, or even shellac, and then apply wax over the cured finish. This gives you the best of both worlds—a durable, long-lasting finish with the warmth, beauty, and easy renewability of wax.
Applying wax can also waterproof your wooden furniture, protecting it from accidental stains and spills. Wood wax can be applied over almost every finish, including paint, varnish, oil and stain. However, it's not advisable to use another finish over the top. This could potentially damage your wood and ruin the finish.
Firmly press your sealing stamp in the wax for a couple of seconds and leave it to harden for about a minute. Gently remove the sealing stamp. If you feel some resistance, leave it to cool for a little longer.
Wax tends to hold in the dust from the sanding itself keeping an extremely limited amount of free-floating particulates in the air that would otherwise be all over the place if you distressed before you waxed. You have much more control over your distressing by doing it after you wax.
Many people use nothing but a coat of dewaxed shellac as a sanding sealer. Zinsser SealCoat, a pre-mixed 2 lb. cut of crystal-clear dewaxed shellac, is one of the most lauded products in this category.
Sanding sealer always must be sanded down smooth after it has dried. Sanding sealer helps improve the condition of subsequent coats of paint or clear finish by sealing the wood pores. With the wood pores sealed, the coating is able to spread out and cover the surface rather than being quickly soaked up.
But polyurethane doesn't bond so well over finishes marketed as sealers, especially over sanding sealer. This sealer is good for use under non-polyurethane varnishes because regular alkyd varnishes gum up sandpaper. So to speed production, a sanding sealer can be used for the first coat.
The thin viscosity makes it easy to spread and allows it to penetrate into porous woods. To start apply 1 thin coat and allow it to dry. Lightly scuff sand to remove any raised grain fibers, then apply an additional 1 to 2 coats to seal wood and provide an excellent surface that will be ready to topcoat.
Using an Ultra Fine Steel Wool (Grade 0000), apply a thin coat of wax on the surface in the direction of the wood grain. Allow the wax to dry for about 20 minutes and then buff to a sheen with a cotton cloth or a Liberon wax polishing brush. If the wood is new or very dry you may need to apply another coat.
If you're covering unfinished furniture, plan on applying a total of 3 layers, but remember to buff the wax between each application. Once you finish waxing and buffing the furniture, wait about 30 minutes before placing things on the furniture or using it.
Can I wax polish bare/raw unfinished wood? Yes you can, If you are looking for a wax only finish. I do understand that a natural wax only finish has a unique look and feel to it but I must say that this is not a finish that I actively promote very much.
Poly First, Then Wax
The rule of thumb is to apply poly then wax. Wax should always be the final topcoat applied to a piece of furniture.
The lesson is simple: unless your goal is to strip the ceramic coating off your car, keep the polish away. Car wax and polish are not the same. Car waxes with ingredients like carnauba wax and synthetic shine polymers are perfectly safe to use—and even recommended to use—on top of ceramic coatings.
Paste wax is best used as a polish over an existing finish such as lacquer, varnish, shellac, polyurethane or even oil finishes.
Shellac – Shellac is best used on lighter woods where durability is not a top priority. This finish is easy to apply, dries quickly, and is best on lighter-colored woods. Polyurethane – Polyurethane is a more durable finish and is recommended for heavier-use areas where moisture is a concern.
It “seals” the wood perfectly well. Why use shellac under several coats of polyurethane — or under any other finish? The answer is to solve a problem. Shellac has wonderful blocking properties, better than any other finish.