Tips & Techniques

For the best wax polish finish we recommend applying a generous first coat with a clean sponge or paint brush. When the first coat is dry, rub it back with wire wool or a hand pad until flat and smooth, then apply a second coat of wax polish with a cloth or a sponge.

Once the second coat of wax is dry buff it with a cloth or brush to produce the desired shine.

The thin second coat is the secret to a good finish and should take no more than about five minutes for a medium sized piece of furniture. For the best wax polish finish we recommend applying a generous first coat with a clean sponge or paint brush. When the first coat is dry, rub it back with wire wool or a hand pad until flat and smooth, then apply a second coat of wax polish with a cloth or a sponge.

On woods that take the wood stain evenly it is best to use the wood stain at full strength and finish with a light coloured wax polish. On woods that wood stain unevenly, it is better to dilute the wood stain with water and use a darker colour wax polish to help even the tone of the wood surface.

Where possible it is always better to use a full strength wood stain and a light coloured wax. Hannant’s wood stains are formulated to enhance the natural grain and beauty of the wood. A dark colour wax polish will tend to darken the wood evenly and hide the grain, but this may be the best solution for some timber.

Water based wood stains have many advantages and give the best possible colour tones, but have a tendency to raise the grain of the wood. However, the grain is only raised once so this problem is easily overcome by spraying a mist of water, or dampening with a cloth or sponge about an hour prior to fine sanding.

Once the wood has dried, sand the raised grain flat and it will remain flat when wood stained. This process also reduces the amount of wax or lacquer required for the top coat.

When applying water based wax, lacquer or varnish over a water based wood stain, care should be taken not to dislodge the wood stain.

As a general rule this minor problem can be overcome provided the user applies the first top coat carefully with light strokes, so as not to disturb the wood stain.

A useful trick is to spray a light mist of the water based top coat over the wood stain. The piece of furniture can then be sprayed with a medium-to-heavy coat without fear of the top coat bleeding through and disturbing the water based bottom coat, as the light mist quickly seals the wood stain. When applying water based wax, lacquer or varnish over a water based wood stain, care should be taken not to dislodge the wood stain.

Each wood absorbs wood stain differently, some benefit from a generous soaking whilst others are better with a lighter application. European red pines, for example, require quite heavy wood staining, although less so on the end grain and fielded panels.

Quebec yellow pine needs a lighter, dryer application. Wherever possible it is advisable to test the wood stain on a piece of scrap timber of the same type or on an inconspicuous part of the piece being wood stained. more water resistant than a solvent wax.