Why can't these doors be waxed?

TomsMom

We have bought these doors from Wickes and a couple of them are being hung today.

The doors are "mixed material construction, using wood, man-made materials and real wood veneers" and the finish is a light oak veneer.

The packaging says "finish using at least 3 coats of paint, high performance wood stain or varnish........." and then it says "not suitable for polishing, waxing or treatment with teak oil".

We had planned to either wax them or treat with Danish oil.

Anyone know why wax or oil is not recommended?

lagi

No idea why, but looking at customer reviews underneath the first person has oiled it and said it has come out fine with a prior light sanding.

MX5huggy

Paint varnish ect, will stop moisture entering the wood and the therefore the veneers delaminating.

Not saying that wax etc will mean they will fall apart just Wickes will not cover the warranty if you don't paint etc.

Chippy_Minton_2

It doesn't say you can't wax them.

TomsMom

Chippy_Minton wrote: »

It doesn't say you can't wax them.

It does Chippy. From my original post

and then it says "not suitable for polishing, waxing or treatment with teak oil".

We've got pine doors in our present house that we've waxed and they're fine. I was just wondering what the reason is. Maybe because it's a laminate finish but 'cos I'm a curious person I like reasons :rotfl:

TomsMom

MX5huggy wrote: »

Paint varnish ect, will stop moisture entering the wood and the therefore the veneers delaminating.

Not saying that wax etc will mean they will fall apart just Wickes will not cover the warranty if you don't paint etc.

Ah, OK. So if we really, really wanted wax or oil then it's probably best not to put that finish on the bathroom door.

Steve_Groves

The veneers on the Wickes' doors at the price you paid are nice and thick with a "chip board" type core.

Have a look at the centre part of the door and you should see that the recessed lines are routed into the door and not the result of multiple pieces of wood fixed together. This will give you an idea of how thick the front and back veneer is. The edges of the door are equally think to allow you to trim them down slightly.

I see no problems with waxing or oiling other than if the door should fail then you might have problems with warranties

TomsMom

Thanks Steve. The builder (who is also the carpenter/joiner - I get those mixed up ) - we have builders renovating this house for us - who is hanging them said this morning "They're not the worst doors I've seen". I was a bit worried by his comment and asked if we'd made a mistake buying them but he said "They're not the worst and they're not the best" and then went on to tell us solid oak doors would have probably cost around £300+. They were the ones we liked and they suited our budget.

He's trimmed one and we can see they're good and solid where's he's cut the excess off. OH will play around with some wax he has in the house but the builder couldn't really see a problem with wax or oil but I hear what you say about the warranty.

Thanks again for your comments.

Chippy_Minton_2

Sorry I clicked straight onto the website and missed the bit about the instructions. The only reason I see that Wickes have stated this is all down to how durable the finish will be. Wax is the least durable of all the finishes and will wear off easier, leaving the exposed wood liable to staining. As it is a veneered door the is a limit to the number of times that it can be sanded.

Steve_Groves

Having just renovated the ground floor of our house. We have swapped the doors to some very similar doors to yours from Wickes. I think we paid £85 so I am guessing that they are very similar in construction.

If you want the look of oak without paying the £300+ for solid oak then they cannot be beaten and boy did I look.

One of our doors is at the entrance to the utility room. At one point we had a ventilation problem and water streamed down the walls yet the door has not warped, split, delaminated so go ahead with the wax.

If you get a nice natural colour when waxed then can you let me know what you used because I am thinking of waxing mine (couple of coats of matt varnish at the moment for protection)

TomsMom

Chippy_Minton wrote: »

As it is a veneered door the is a limit to the number of times that it can be sanded.

Ah, that makes sense. Thank you.