Part 4: How to Clean and Refinish Solid Wood Furniture

In the final article in this series, we look at how to use beeswax to complete the refinishing of wood furniture that has been cleaned, oiled and varnished.
Beeswax is a particularly good wax to use on furniture as it gives a nice soft luster and has a high enough melting temperature so that the warmth of a hand placed on the finished surface won't leave a mark.
It also possesses waterproofing qualities.
Start by squirting just a small quantity of wax onto the furniture and rubbing into the surface in a circular motion with a soft cloth.
A very light coat is all you need.
If you have any excess you'll just need to wipe it off later, so try to use the minimum amount required to give coverage.
When you have covered the surface with circular movements, finish application with long even strokes, forwards and backwards, following the grain of the wood.
Allow the wax to dry for 15-20 minutes during which time the component solvents will evaporate and the wax will harden.
Next, use either a clean cotton or wool cloth to buff the surface, again using long even strokes in the same direction as the wood grain.
The result will be a beautiful soft luster.
After a couple of days, you may notice an oily film on the surface.
That's nothing to be concerned about...
it's just the excess oil content of the polish bleeding through.
Simply wipe the surface with a clean soft cloth to remove.
By now I hope we've given you enough information for a nice weekend project.
Using the techniques we've shown you in this series, it should be possible to maintain your furniture in near the same condition as the day it was delivered.
To maintain the finish over time requires little more than a scotch brite pad and reapplication of the beeswax as described above.