keelbolt

Did a brilliant job on my wife's dining table. Sanded off the old, tired, scratched stain. Down to smooth bare wood. Then did a great job of finishing with paste wax. Looks great. Only problem is, it won't tolerate water and every little spill is spoiling the look. What's worse, wife is very unhappy that it won't withstand water etc. Only afterwards did I read the tin - not recommended for kitchen tables and areas that come into contact with water!!

Only one thing for it. Get rid of the wax, and finish it with something that will withstand water and heat. So.....

1) How can I remove the wax finish that I so carefully and lovingly applied in order to get back to bare wood (assuming that I need to??)

2) What finish do the experts recommend for a dining table that needs to look nice and that will withstand water spills??

If there's something I can put on OVER the wax that would be great, but I somehow doubt it.

Tony B

Wax is something I personally would never use on furniture, finished or unfinished. As you found out it wont tolerate water. Neither will oil finishes or shellac. You will need a hard finish for that.
To get rid of the wax, start with a commercial dewaxer. You will have to go to your nearest refinishing shop and ask where to get some. The off the shelf stuff at hardware stores just wont do it. After several applications of a dewaxer and when you think you got it all off, use heavy applications of acetone or lacquer thinner and continue 'washing and rinsing' the surface. You want to make sure that if you do any more sanding you wil not be driving the wax further into the wood.
I just about use nothing but lacquer. It is what the furniture manufacturers use and have been using for the last eighty years. Look at the furniture in your house or someone elses house and you will see that the lacquer finish has held up just fine.
If you cant spray lacquer, go to a polyurethane fininsh.
Or, you can use shellac which many will suggest and you can keep using shellac over and over and over again. It is easy to repair, but yo will be repairing it over and over and over again.

__________________
Tony B

http://www.thetexaswoodworks.com

cabinetman

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

I wouldn't recommend applying any finish over the wax. Your easiest solution is to use a chemical stripper. The least toxic would be Citristrip, which can be used indoors. You may have to do more than one application. I wouldn't use a solvent as it will dissolve the wax into the wood.

If you can spray, a lacquer finish or a waterbase polyurethane finish would be very durable. If you can't spray, use an oil base polyurethane made into a wiping finish, thinned 25% with mineral spirits. Use a lint free "T" shirt folded up into square pads about 3" square. Apply several thin coats and lightly sand off any nibs between coats with 320x when cured.

rrich

If the only thing on the table is the paste wax, almost any thinner should remove it. I had to do something similar and I used lacquer thinner. Two or three applications will remove almost anything. Then a good oil based poly as mike suggersted will give a durable finish.

__________________
Use the right tool for the job.

Rich (Tilting right)
Huntington Beach, California
Remember that when we have the "BIG ONE" everything east of the Rockies falls into the ocean.

keelbolt

Can you suggest one please? If you have a favourite, then a PM would be welcome if you don't want to mention brands publicly. I have just under two weeks before wife returns from France to find wet Cat Paw marks all over the dining room table top, stripped by Yours Truly and waxed to perfection (well, until the cats got to it)!!! (This is a 'near divorce' situation!!!)

rrich

If you are in California, Minwax water based poly. Thin (25%) with distilled water if necessary and three coats of gloss. If a satin or semi gloss is needed, then use as the fourth coat as desired. Be sure to stir the satin or semi frequently during application.

If you are in a non-CARB state, (e.g. Anyplace but California) use the oil based version. Thin with mineral spirits as needed, up to 50%. Thinned or not, this stuff will really stink up the house so move the table to the garage for the finishing.

I'm partial to Minwax as it's readily available. Almost any known brand is good. Rockler carries the General Finishes brand which is also very good. There is some stuff at Lowe's but I can't remember the brand name.

A bit about color. The oil based products will add warmth to the table. The water based products tend to be a bit cooler in color.

The oil based products tend to bring out the grain a bit more than the water based ones. Maybe it's just the color thing but to my non color coordinated eye it seems that way.

__________________
Use the right tool for the job.

Rich (Tilting right)
Huntington Beach, California
Remember that when we have the "BIG ONE" everything east of the Rockies falls into the ocean.

keelbolt

I'm in the UK, near Bristol to be reasonably precise, so definitely outside California.

I'll see if I can find an equivalent. Oil based sounds OK, will ask around.

Thanks for your help,.

KB

keelbolt

I found Ronseal Diamond Hard was a water based Polyurethene Varnish. Stripped the wax off as suggested, and have used this. The result is even better than with the wax, as the grain is visible, and the effect is stunning. Thanks folks.