The Best Furniture Waxes In The World!

With the delightful upcycled furniture trend showing no signs of abating, one of the questions we're often asked is which waxes for wood we recommend. We're here this month to devote a whole post to which are the best waxes for different purposes to give you full peace of mind.

Waxes suitable for wood are broadly divided into two categories. Those used for finishing a piece, painted or otherwise, and those used for the ongoing nourishment and cleaning of furniture.

Let's start with one of our - and your - favourites. Liberon's supremely popular Black Bison Fine Paste wax. We believe this is one of the best furniture waxes available. As implied by its name, it comes in paste form which makes it incredibly simple to apply, its solvents preventing the formula from drying out in the tin. Its pliability also ensures that you can easily take the amount of product you need, making it very economical. 

The paste can be applied using a brush for a rustic look or rag for a smoother finish. It takes about twenty minutes to dry and buffs superbly if you desire a more lustrous end product. 

Although its original purpose is for nourishing and protecting all types of wood, Liberon Black Bison Fine Paste Wax is fantastic on painted furniture, as testified on blogs worldwide. Cassie from 'Primitive and Proper' says this: "I use several different waxes, but this is one of my absolute favourites to use. It gives a beautiful finish and buffed sheen and smells like heaven."

The wax comes in a full range of colours...

 ...including clear and neutral. 'Neutral' adds colour at all, whereas 'Clear' will bring more depth to your paint colours.  Although soft on application, the whole range cures to a fine, tough finish. It is also worth noting that it is certified as safe to use on toys.

For general cleaning and ongoing protection of wood, we highly recommend Liberon 's Beeswax Liquid and Paste, endorsed by the Guild of Master Craftsmen. Depending on your application preference, both are easily applied and buff up like a dream, bringing out all the wood's natural beauty. The Beeswax Paste, in particular, is perfect for treasured pieces of furniture

We suggest Liberon Liquid Wax for large areas such as beams and panelling, as it will not penetrate sealed wood as well as the paste. For more details on the large range of high quality finishes we stock, talk to one of the Relics of Witney team.

Giving your furniture a deep down clean every few months will help to feed the wood, preventing it from drying out, as well as enhancing the richness of colour and, of course, making your house smell wonderful in the process!

Happy November!

Images via Modern Country Style, Relics of Witney, Primitive and Proper, Popular Woodworking, Primitive and Proper, Liberon, Curate and Display , Liberon, Relics of Witney

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How To Create Farrow and Ball Stripey Chairs

This month, we've been thoroughly inspired by Farrow and Ball's recent brochure cover.

So enthusiastic are we that we've decided to bring you a full tutorial of how to make this charming, slightly shabbied look your own.

You will need:

Two sample pots of paint

Two small paint brushes

Masking tape

Sandpaper

Wooden Chairs

Exterior Varnish

This is one of those looks that achieves a lot of wow with very little outlay. You get a lot of bang for your buck, as it were. The two sample pots we've chosen are Farrow and Ball India Yellow and Farrow and Ball Blazer and came to a grand total of £7.90. 

Start off by giving each chair a very light sand down. This is because, while we're aiming for a chipped look, it's important to be able to control when and where the paint will flake away. Sanding provides what's called a 'key', which allows the paint to adhere.

Mark off areas to paint using masking tape. On each chair, we created a slightly different effect by masking off different thicknesses of stripes. These are created by simply layering the masking tape strips to block off your desired widths.

Paint the exposed surfaces using one of the sample pots. 

Before the paint is fully dry, remove the masking tape and repeat the process for your second colour. Once the paint has had a chance to set, you can get to work distressing!

Here are three top tips for creating a bespoke time-worn look.

{As always, do contact us for further information. 

We're here to help!}

Don't paint right up to the edges of all the struts. Leave a small gap, then blend in the paint and the bare wood by repeatedly applying, pressing and removing the tape.

Different kinds of tape will pull off varying amounts of paint. Experiment with parcel tape, for example, for a more heavily distressed feel.

And, lastly, vary the stripe width and placement on each chair for a quirky mix and match look.

When you're happy with the level of distressing on each chair, carefully apply clear exterior wood varnish all over the chairs. We used Osmo 410 for a lovely sheen.

...but you can choose from matt or satin varnishes too. 

Enjoy sitting on your stylish new seating arrangement, whilst revelling in the fact that the makeover cost only 

a few pounds!

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How To Paint A Swedish Style Chair Using Earthborn Paints (Part 2)

In our last post, we took you through the process of how to narrow down the huge amount of inspiration available to help you decide on the final look for your furniture.

 This time, let's focus on HOW to get that look using Earthborn's paint. We'll be walking you through the techniques we used to create our lovely Swedish-style chair.

For the project we're demonstrating, you will need:

a small paintbrush

a 750ml tin of both Earthborn Nellie and Earthborn Posset

sandpaper

Osmo Polyx Oil Tint

masking tape

The new 750ml size paint pots that Earthborn have released are perfectly suited to this type of small-scale furniture project. We used Nellie, a gentle grey-blue, and Posset, a soft, pure white.

The first step is to sand down your chair to remove any traces of varnish or layers of old paint. If you choose your project with care then this step needn't take too long but, to get a professional finish, it's worth taking the time to do it properly.

Next, apply your paint methodically, on one part of the chair at a time, using simple back-and-forth strokes with your paintbrush to ensure even, smooth coverage.

 This part requires a little bit of thought. Imagine the effect that you would like to end up with, and apply the layers of paint in reverse.

For example, on the main frame of the chair we've simply used Nellie and then sanded gently back in the areas that will receive most wear to reveal touches of the wood underneath.

On the arms and struts, we added a layer of Posset over the top of a dried layer Nellie, so that when we distressed the chair with our sandpaper, we were able to expose hints of the grey paint below.

And, in other places, we rubbed quite firmly with our sandpaper to reveal, not only the Nellie layer, but also the wood beneath.

By painting each part at a time, you'll be able to build up a picture of what you want to achieve more fully, adding more paint here, or sanding a little extra there.

Once you are completely happy with how your chair looks, then apply the protective finish you've chosen. We've used Osmo Polyx Oil Tint for depth and a slight sheen but it's perfectly possible to choose a glossy finish or utterly matte, depending on your preference. Do contact us for advice.

Breathing new life into old pieces of furniture is such a satisfying process. Quite the opposite of high-street buying; you'll end up with a piece that is uniquely yours, which should, by using the right products, last for years and years and years! What could be lovelier?

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