Re-waxing antique pine floorboards

bpk101

I had reclaimed pine flooring fitted in my open plan lounge/diner last year. I finished them with Mylands wax, a long and laborious process but finish was good and worth the effort.

Had some building work done this year, although the floors were protected, dust got everywhere and the floors need re-doing.

What's the process for applying new wax? Do I need to sand or strip back the previous coat/s and dirt first or apply directly on top?

First time I used a slightly tinted 'antique brown' wax but I find it a little too dark so this time I'll use clear wax so as not to add any more colour. Perhaps a light sand will also remove some of the previous colour without stripping back the surface texture too much?

Finally, is it possible to add a top coat of matt or satin varnish to help protect the finish for longer or is this defeating the purpose of the wax?

Thanks

Ectophile

If there's dust ingrained into the wax, you might need to gently strip off the top layer. But normally, there's no need. If the wax is wearing a bit thin, just add another layer on top. You can keep doing that indefinitely.

I can't imagine varnish sticking properly to wax. If you want to varnish, you'd have to strip the whole lot back to bare wood.