Beeswax on Baseboards and Trim
I have pine baseboards and trim that have just been stripped. I know they aren’t fancy, but don’t want to paint. What kind of finish should I use? Would beeswax polish look good? And does anyone know where to buy?
I have pine baseboards and trim that have just been stripped. I know they aren’t fancy, but don’t want to paint. What kind of finish should I use? Would beeswax polish look good? And does anyone know where to buy?
I would avoid the wax. If the wax gets wet (i.e from mopping) it will take on an opaque whiteness. I agree that a Tung oil finish would be preferable. I suggest Sutherland Welles. It is an actual tung oil product. Many ‘Tung’ oils are tung oil in name only because they contain a small proportion. Sutherland Welles products are nearly all tung oil. Locally the line is available at Mazzone Hardware on Court Street in Carroll Gardens.
C.J.Bradaigh-Dallett
Thanks everyone. And Steve thanks for tip about Abbot Paint. I’m in Greenpoint so that should be easy.
Maybe an oil first. It can be tung or boiled linseed oil. I usually put a coat on one day and wipe it off after a few minutes. Then a second coat a day or so later and wipe that off. Then wax over that a day or more later. I am not sure I would spend the money on the beeswax. I use Butcher’s Bowling Alley Wax over the oils. Be aware that the oils will darken the wood a little with the linseed darkening it more than the tung oil. If darkening is something you want, there are other oils out there that are made to darken wood.
If you would like to explore this more with someone who really knows a lot about this and has all the products, see Charlie Hoey at Abbot Paint on Eagle Street in Greepoint(tell him Stetson sent you). They have every kind of wood finish and beeswax.
Steve
Stetson Farr Ltd
d/b/a The Tinker’s Wagon
The idea with a penetrating oil finish like tung oil is that it fills the wood and makes it water-resistant. Shellac, varnish, and polyurethane are different in that they create a protective layer on top of the wood, a physical barrier. Wax is a similar idea, but it is a very thin and weak barrier. Wax might be fine for paneling or baseboards, but it doensn’t change the look of the wood much (although you can by colored waxes)–you’d need to stain it to change the color significantly, hide knots, or even out the color of the wood. Shellac might be a good option if you’re looking for a natural but more protective finish. It comes in tints ranging from fairly clear to golden to reddish-brownish. Best to buy flakes and mix with denatured alcohol instead of buying premixed. If you’re going to go the wax route I’d use a paste wax instead of pure beeswax. It’s cheaper and specially formulated with harder waxes.
we found products for our wood floor at green depot on the bowery–for that we used a tung oil mix that I think was called “hard oil #9” and we also bought a wax there too.
I am so not an expert on this, but I think the tung oil rubbed into the wood might give you a nice real wood finish. we used the same hard oil from our floors on a crappy pine bookshelf and it looks great, you have to put on as many coats as you can. as I understand it, if you use multiple coats of tung oil, it becomes a finish, but the wood still feels and looks raw. I’m not sure why you’d need wax on baseboards, but if you’re wet mopping the floors, and baseboards get sloshed, maybe it would make sense
I’ve also read a lot about people using shellac on interior wood, it’s another old fashioned (non-plastic and non-petroleum) product whose finish is beautiful and long lasting.
shellac is made from bug shells I think and tung oil is a chinese tree resin. tung oil and the hard oil #9 do have a somewhat strong and distinctive odor when going on, but not unpleasant, maybe you could call it musky.