How to Buff Wood to a Finish

The best way to buff wood furniture is with wax rather than oil. Wax creates a protective seal on the wood that keeps the moisture in. It produces a high-gloss finish that repels dirt, dust and grit. The wax finish will continue to produce a nice sheen as long as it is cleaned, maintained and buffed on a regular maintenance. Wax buildup is not a problem if you use only a light amount of wax and allow it to permeate the wood and buff it with a soft buffing cloth.

Things You'll Need

Furniture wax
Cloth

Buffing cloth

Instructions

- 1
  Select an appropriate wax for the wood. Clear wax works well for all types of furniture and for all types of color. Buffing wood furniture with clear wax produces a glossy finish. Colored wax or pigment wax enhances the color of wood and works well to disguise nicks, scrapes and blemishes. Pine wax is ideal for unfinished wood or for wood that has a light color.
- 2
  Apply a light amount of wax to the wood with a clean cotton cloth. Pour the wax on the cloth and spread the wax on the wood using light circular motions. Let the wax permeate the wood for 10 to 60 minutes.
- 3
  Buff the wood with a soft buffing cloth. Buff the wood several minutes until it has a glossy sheen.
- 4
  Apply a second coat of wax to the wood. Skip this step if you used clear wax for the first coat. If you used colored or pine wax for the first coat, apply a second coat using clear wax. Apply the wax against the grain with a clean cloth. Let the wax permeate the wood for 60 minutes.
- 5
  Buff the wood with a clean soft buffing cloth. Buff the wood several minutes until it has a nice sheen.

How to Clean Vinyl Fabric

How to Clean Butcher Block Kitchen Tables

Furniture Care