Buffing Waxed and Painted Furniture With Chalk Paint® and Ultimate Buffing Brush

A common question and concern I get from many of our customers often pertains to waxing furniture. When using Annie Sloan Soft Wax, it’s important to not over think what you are doing. It’s a relatively simple process, despite the physically laboring aspect of it.

I like to work in sections. Wax-on, wax-off. You really don’t need a heck of a lot of wax on your brush or rag, and you just go ahead and bang it out. While I recommend using the Ultimate Wax Brush, a nice lint-free cloth will work as well (old, soft t-shirts fit the bill). Just dab a little bit of wax onto your applicator and really work the wax into the paint. I tend to work in about 16 inch sections or until the wax on my brush runs out. You’ll see that the applied wax will deepen the color, so it makes it easy to see once the wax has run out. Once you’ve reached that point, take a separate, clean, lint-free cloth and wipe away any excess. I like to wipe with the grain of the wood to provide a really clean finish. Once you’ve done that, reapply another dab of wax and move on to the next section and repeat. You’ll be done before you know it.

I think where people sometimes get hung up is on how long they leave the wax before wiping away the surplus. The wax takes 24 hours to dry and another two weeks or so to cure. After the first 24 hours is when we recommend that you buff it to give a really soft, semi-gloss finish. I know that some folks mistook buffing as wiping away the recrement wax, but that would be wrong. What was happening to these folks is that they were applying the wax and after waiting 24 hours to remove the extra, it was dried and sticky and nearly impossible. So don’t make the same mistake and wipe away as you go.

On to buffing…

I’ve recently worked on a painted dining table that my client specifically wanted a hard, shiny finish for. I was excited because it was a Graphite table, and I think the dark colors really lend themselves to showing off a great finish. For that table, I actually waxed it three times, waiting the requisite 24 hours between each coat. After the final coat and waiting period, I buffed the heck out of it using a really soft cloth. It came out great.

I only wish I had one of these babies:

We just brought in the Ultimate Buffing Brush specifically for these types of jobs. The 100% horse hair brush just takes buffing to a whole other level. I absolutely love it and plan to use it all the time.

The great thing about waxed furniture, is that if it every loses its luster, you can just buff it back to glory! And don’t forget, to clean your waxed pieces, just use a wet sponge or cloth with a little soap, nothing harsher. Chemical cleaners will compromise the wax and potentially damage your finish.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!

To purchase an Ultimate Buffing Brush, click here.

We’ve also recently added Chalk Paint and wax to our online store! Check it out!