Wax/vanish/oil?

bluedrop

Hi all,
I just bought a lovely mango wood dining table.

Shall I wax / varnish /oil it?

I have a mango wood coffee table - I waxed it and it turned out awful. I used medium wax...

Jonesya

How much use/abuse is it going to get? How much time are you willing to spend maintaining it? What sort of look are you after?

Wax and oil need renewing periodically, alcohol spills will dissolve wax, wax will come off on things, say if it doubles as a table for crafts, writing, homework etc and neither will stop staining as well as varnish. Varnish is tough, low maintenance and you can vary the finish from high-gloss to matt but it won't have the rustic appearance you can get with wax/oil if that's what you're after and it takes more work to renew it.

bluedrop

Jonesya wrote: »

How much use/abuse is it going to get? How much time are you willing to spend maintaining it? What sort of look are you after?

Wax and oil need renewing periodically, alcohol spills will dissolve wax, wax will come off on things, say if it doubles as a table for crafts, writing, homework etc and neither will stop staining as well as varnish. Varnish is tough, low maintenance and you can vary the finish from high-gloss to matt but it won't have the rustic appearance you can get with wax/oil if that's what you're after and it takes more work to renew it.

No Alcohol in my house. But the table will be used for writing, homeworks, crafts etc.

I am after that 'rustic' look, but if it needs to be waxed once in a few months, I am probably better off with varnish...

Would varnish look very shiny on furniture?

Hintza

Everyone on here thinks I'm off my chump, but I use some kitchen roll giving a light cover olive oil 2-3 times a year. You could always go professional and use Danish Oil or Teak Oil. Linseed would take a while to dry.

Varnish will annoy you 4-5 years down the line and will take a fair bit of effort to re-do.

evoke

You can get a satin-finish or matte-finish varnish that will probably be best for your table. It'll certainly be the hardest-wearing solution that requires the least care.

However, you'll get a much better rustic finish with wax or oil (i'd go for a beeswax).

bluedrop

Hintza wrote: »

Everyone on here thinks I'm off my chump, but I use some kitchen roll giving a light cover olive oil 2-3 times a year. You could always go professional and use Danish Oil or Teak Oil. Linseed would take a while to dry.

Varnish will annoy you 4-5 years down the line and will take a fair bit of effort to re-do.

I'm inclined towards oiling too.

Would it be okay to varnish it after a year or so ( if I am fed up with oiling it) ? Or is it something like - if I oil it once, it has to be oil forever ? :think:

Also, is teak oil ok with Mango wood?

evoke

^ You can't really varnish over oil. Oil penetrates the wood.

DirectDebacle

^ You can. Varnish can be applied successfully over oil with an oilbased varnish. That is a varnish that can be thinned with white spirit.^

Leif

You need to know what is currently on the table. Is it an acrylic or polyurethane finish? Has it been waxed? You can't apply finishes over wax, you need to remove it first.

Which wax did you use on the coffee table? There is wax, and wax. Spray on are apparently poor. Did you not get care instructions with your furniture?

In my view the point of Danish Oil, or vegetable oils such as olive oil, is that they soak into the wood, with a very thin surface layer, giving a more natural appearance i.e. like raw wood, but shinier, and with a deeper colour. So putting it over synthetic finishes such as acrylic might gain you little, assuming it adheres properly.

If the table is oiled, then I would have thought a yearly wax with good quality wax would be enough.

bluedrop

I've just varnished it and it looks stunning. MUCH better than the disgusting look of my coffee table.

First thing on the agenda tomorrow - sand the coffee table and varnish it !

Mango wood has beautiful grain. Only varnish can do justice to it!!