Wax is the most forgiving finish on old furniture and the one most often stripped off unnecessarily. Before reaching for anything that removes material, it is worth establishing what is actually on the surface.
Identify the finish first
Test in a hidden place. A cotton bud with white spirit (mineral spirits in the US) will soften wax and lift a brown residue. Methylated spirit will soften shellac and leave the surface tacky. If neither does anything, it is probably a modern lacquer or varnish, and the advice here does not apply.
The U.S. National Park Service’s conservation guidance applies paste wax only to stable, clear finishes such as shellac, lacquer and varnish, and warns against waxing bare wood, where the wax sinks into the pores and is nearly impossible to remove. It also says rewaxing is not necessary as long as the existing wax layer can be buffed to a sheen, so check whether yours can simply be buffed before you do anything else.
Most dull, cloudy, sticky-feeling antique surfaces are not damaged finishes. They are decades of wax with dirt suspended in them.
Clean before you add
Work in small sections with white spirit on fine wire wool, always along the grain, with light pressure. The cloth will come away brown immediately. Change it often, because a dirty cloth simply redistributes what you have lifted.
This removes the old wax and the dirt in it while leaving the colour underneath intact. Most of the transformation people expect from stripping happens at this stage.
Rewax thinly
Apply a good paste wax sparingly with a cloth, leave it to dry for thirty to sixty minutes, then buff hard. The common mistake is too much wax and not enough buffing, which leaves a soft, smeary surface that collects dust.
Use a paste wax, not a spray or liquid polish. The Park Service notes that most liquid and aerosol polishes contain silicones, which could harm a finish, and that two thin coats are better than one thick one.
Choose a wax tinted close to the timber. A dark wax on pale timber will lodge in the grain and darken it permanently.
When stripping is justified
Only when the finish itself has failed, which means flaking, crazing over the whole surface, or white bloom that does not respond to cleaning.
Never use a caustic dip. It raises the grain, leaches colour, dissolves animal glue in the joints and leaves timber that will never take a finish evenly again. A great deal of otherwise good furniture has been ruined this way in the name of restoration.
Sources
- U.S. National Park Service, Conserve O Gram 7/2: Waxing Furniture and Wooden Objects
