Waxing nightmare!!!!

[ronianna]

I have an old waxed/stained farmhouse style kitchen that I wanted to give a good polish. I bought and used a flat tin of 'antique' wax (solid brown stuff) that said apply with a clean cloth, allow to dry and buff to a polished finish.

I allowed it to dry and now I can't polish it or remove it - it's destoyed the table!!! When you try and polish it, it just seams to move the wax around and leaves HUGE streaks. I've even used a credit card to scrape as much off as possible (it's kind of like scraping cold chocolate). But still the table looks terrible. Worst still is that it comes off on your clothes if you lean against it.

How can I fix this? I don't want to 're finish' the table, so I don't want to use any type of stripper on it. A 'trick of the trade' would be perfect right now.

PLEASE....anyone.

Thanks

[Buenchico]

It sounds like someone has, at some time in the past, used a silicone-based polish on the table.

Traditional wax polishes are absorbed into the wood whereas silicone-based products tend to seal the surface (which means that it's then difficult to get the wood to absorb wax).

What would I do? Well, although you don't want to completely strip the wood, I'd still use a bottle of white spirit (and several kitchen rolls) to get rid of the surface wax and help break down the silicone polish. (I'm not suggesting soaking the table in white spirit but using repeated wiping of the surface with sheets of kitchen roll, each soaked in white spirit, until matters improve.

Then return to the tin of antique wax and put a VERY SMALL amount onto a clean cloth and rub it well into an area about six inches square. Then move onto an adjacent area. Once you've completed a strip across the table you should be able to go back to the start and buff to a shine. Work your way across and then start another strip.

Chris

[stanleyman]

We used to do this all the time when we had a pine shop. The table top should be taken down to bare wood first. You seem to have put too much on and haven't worked it in before letting it dry. Using a big wadge of medium wire wool work this along the grain until you get a smooth finish with no lumps, it's hard work but worth it. Add more polish if needed to fully cover.

Polish by hand or better still with a rotary brush in a drill. I would be wary of using anything liquid on it as it will soak in and leave a stain. You can still take if down to bare wood if it already has a coating and won't take the polish. This polish will remain feeling sticky for somewhile.