I have just completed a entertainment unit for my wife and before we had the- final discussion on finish ( my fault there) I had applied a coat of paste wax over the semi-gloss finish. My question is, how best to remove the wax before reappling the now requested satin finish to ensure good adhesion to the previous coat. I used a polyurethane finish and will stick with the same brand of poly only in satin?
firetuck
Replies
Mineral spirits is the generally accepted way of removing wax from furniture, for instance before re-waxing or prior to working on a worn or aged finish. My question would be whether you'll need to follow the removal (using mineral spirits) with something like Naptha to make sure all residue is removed.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
forestgirl, Thanks for the info, i was pretty sure that mineral spirits or some other product was the way to go, thanks for the confirmation
firetuck
Either naphtha or mineral spirits will work equally well. The key is to use plenty of paper towels and change the towel face with every wipe. If you don't do this, all you are doing is smearing the wax around. Go through the process twice and you should be OK. Then give a quick scuff sanding with 400 W&D paper or a gray scotchbrite pad. Then you are ready for re-coating.
You do know that you can easily get to a satin finish by using a gray scotchbrite pad or 4/0 steel wool don't you? In fact, many finishers only use gloss clear finishes and then create the final sheen by "finishing the finish". Clear finishes have more resin solids and do not "muddy up" the grain the way finishes with flatteners do. Use a lubricant like mineral spirits or a thinned mineral oil and rub in long strokes with the grain. Keep wiping the slurry off to see how things are coming along. In addition to creating the sheen you want, you will smooth the surface and give a nice "feel" to the surface.
Ditto Howie's post. He said everything that I was gonna suggest.
The only thing I'd add is under the FYI category... Mineral Spirits and Naptha are close cousins. Both are members of the Alphatic Petroleum family of solvents that is referred to by the family name of "Naptha" according to the ChemCentral solvent chart I have.
You can purchase "Wax & Grease Remover" at any place that sells automotive paint. All it is is a blend of 4 - 5 members of the Naptha family of solvents. It's pretty cheap too.
Regards,
Kevin
Kevin, thanks for your help, Howie's suggestions will be a great help and should cut my time frame down.
firetuck
Howie, Thanks for the info, just so I'm clear on how to proceed if I decide to rub out the semi-gloss to an acceptable sheen, do I still need to go through the entire dewaxing process with the naptha that you described?
No, you do not have to dewax. The mineral spirits/mineral oil will dewax as it lubricates. In fact, you can use paste wax as a lubricant too but the other stuff will cut faster. Many finishers "finish the finish" with paste wax applied with either 3/0 or 4/0 steel wool, or with gray or white scotchbrite pads.
As always, try the process out on a surface that is less visible to both learn how to do it and to see if you like the look.
If you decide at some point that you want to apply more finish, then you will need to specifically dewax.
Edited 9/9/2003 5:35:05 PM ET by Howie
You absolutely gotta use naptha. I apply it with steel wool to help cut it into the wax. It will dry as a white powder. Wipe this off and repeat. This comes up pretty often around here as there is a bit of spot repairing going on and the naptha really does the trick.
Dispose of the rags properly though as this stuff really goes off fast ( spontaneous combustion)
hitai, both yours and forestgirls' suggestions are good and I will try both and report the results, obviously on the surface, and without any experimentation, yours seems to be the better of the two, I'll let you know how it turns out. I just need to be extra careful in making sure i get all the wax to prevent failure of the next coat. Thanks for everybodys help, I will ask the boss next time for final approval before putting the wax down.
firetuck
Here's an article that should help:
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/rubbingout.htm
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
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