Hard Wax Oil Finishes
Versatile, durable, and easy to apply
Hard wax oils make finishing a bit easier. They can be used on everything from hardwood floors to fine furniture.
In recent years,hard wax oil finishes have roared onto the finishing scene, and for good reasons. They are dead-simple to apply and deliver excellent results, while containing low or no VOCS (Volatile Organic Compounds—potentially harmful solvents). Many woodworkers look at finishing as that somewhat annoying step you have to do after the fun part is over. Additionally, we prefer not to become finishing experts, learning about the intricacies of various types of lacquers, sanding sealer, catalyzed lacquer, polyurethanes—waterborne, or oil-based, shellac, dewaxed shellac... you get the drift. Most of us just want to find a way to get a predictable, high-quality finish applied with the least amount of effort and little chance that it will mess up and ruin our project. Hard wax oil finishes check all those boxes.
What’s in the can?
While the various brands of hard wax oil products vary significantly, they all combine waxes such as beeswax and carnauba, with an organic/vegetable-based oil of some sort. My favorite, Briwax, has a thick viscosity; think of it being halfway between a gel-poly and regular polyurethane. (Or perhaps like a really good gravy, but not nearly as tasty.) That viscosity answered one of my questions regarding its successful use in open-grained hardwoods such as oak and ash. I’ve had poor results using Danish oil on those species as the pores will weep uncured oil for a good while after application. (I find it annoying to have to go back and wipe up this excess several times after applying a coat.) I had no trouble with the Briwax on oak or mahogany.
Slather and wipe. When applying hard wax oil, wipe on a generous amount of the product. Leave it on the wood for about 15 minutes and then wipe it off with a clean cotton cloth.
A low-luster sheen. Hard wax oil finishes are a good choice for fine furniture, small projects and even do a great job on turned objects like this maple bowl.
Application
A universal component of achieving a great (or even a good) finish is surface preparation. I found sanding through 220-grit to be the minimum in terms of smoothing the wood. And by taking it up to 320-grit, the results were even better. Once the sanding is done, wipe away the swarf with a dry shop towel.
When you open the can, it is important to give hard wax oil a thorough stirring, taking a couple of minutes to do a good job of it. Then use a clean cotton cloth, sponge, or ultra-fine synthetic abrasive pad to wipe on the product. Make sure to work it into all the nooks and crannies. When you’re done, the surfaces should look very wet and even a bit drippy. Allow the oil to sit on the wood for about 15 minutes. Then, using a clean cotton cloth, wipe off the excess, removing puddles and drips. Do not try to wipe it dry, a sheen should remain. It takes a couple of hours (depending on your shop’s temperature) before you can handle the finished piece, and 4 to 6 hours before you can apply a second coat. Err on the side of a longer wait to make certain of the best re-coating results. The long drying time is one of the downsides of hard wax oils (even the two-part types with an additive hardener suffer this shortcoming). But the good news is that dust nibs do not cure into the finish like film-coat products and are easily buffed away. I recommend a minimum of two coats for a tabletop or something that will get heavy use. Three coats are even better. Note: These directions apply specifically Briwax. Other brands of hard wax oil have their own (quite similar) recommendations for application.
“Pop” goes the grain. Hard wax oil truly brings out the depth of highly figured wood. Here two pieces of crotch cut walnut from the same log section: one with hard wax oil, the other sanded but with no finish.
Finishing Thoughts
The results of your efforts will be a beautiful—both to the touch and to the eye—low-luster finish. Hard wax oil enhances any properly prepared wood surface but truly pops curly and other highly figured grain patterns as in birds-eye or fiddleback maple. Another benefit of this finish is that if it becomes worn, it is easily touched up. Cleanup is with mineral spirits. And be sure to dispose of the oily cloths properly to avoid a possible fire.
I’ve found hard wax oils are a great way to finish your projects easily with consistent, great results. While I’ll continue to use a variety of finishes on my projects, if I was only allowed to choose one finish for the rest of my life, hard wax oil might just make the cut.
