Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Sep 26, 2009 10:24pm | #1

   Not hard at all--much softer, though it may seem "hard" that's mostly because it is so thin.  Wax offers virtually no protection. 

   Of course, single part polyurethane varnish isn't a particularly hard finish.  Traditional resin varnishes are a bit harder, and shellac and nitrocellulose lacquer are much harder.   

1. 
   Buster2000 | Sep 28, 2009 09:25pm | #2

   Just wondering why one would want their finish to be 'hard'?  I'm assuming harder finished would protect from scratches?  But there must be some limit to this when it comes to a hard finish over a soft wood.

   All the finished I use I'd consider thin and soft.  Typically wipe on varnish or poly followed by wax.

    

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Sep 29, 2009 03:51am | #3

   Polyurethane varnish resists abrasion by being tough, not brittle.  Other oil based varnishes with phenolic resin is nearly as tough but harder, and alkyd resin is a bit less tough, but still hard and quite durable.  In my opinion the value of polyurethane resin is best realized on floors.  Furniture rarely if ever faces that kind of abrasion. 

   Very hard finishes, like shellac and nitrocellulose lacquer do scratch more easily than varnishes, because of their brittleness. 

   And, you are quite right to think that the protective values of wood finishes is limited by the fact that they are placed on wood that is often relatively soft.  Oil finishes, including oil/varnish mixes, add little protection since they cure softer than most of the woods they are applied to.  But, of course, if you want pristine appearance over long periods, you want titanium or something equally robust, not wood. 

    

2. 
   JohnWW | Sep 30, 2009 01:45am | #4

   Tony,

   Wax isn't a finish in the ordinary sense. It is meant to be applied over a film building finish like a shellac, varnish, or lacquer. Used on those finishes it leaves a layer just a few molecules thick that adds a gloss and a bit of water and wear protection for the finish underneath it. By itself on raw wood, or over a penetrating finish like oil, wax wouldn't give any meaningful protection and certainly wouldn't be hard.

   John White
   Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998 to 2007