WAX - LEARN HOW TO USE FRENCHIC FURNITURE WAXES

WAX - LEARN TO USE FRENCHIC FURNITURE WAXES

Use waxes to finish and protect a beautiful painted surface, and to create stunning effects

The idea and beauty of chalk painting is to create different layers and use different techniques - it’s easy to fall in love with using waxes! Waxes highlight grooves, scratches, and flaking paint. They create beautiful highlights in some areas and depth in others.

You can also use Frenchic natural waxes on new, clean wood surfaces and to care for wooden and antique furniture surfaces.

Brown waxes are generally used to add dark patina and a sense of depth over chalk paint: use them along the edges of drawers and doors to emphasize the area’s three-dimensionality. Brown wax darkens and slightly changes the color tone. The result is a rustic, patinated surface. Try mixing golden or green Frensheen metallic pigment powder into the wax - the result is a gorgeous shimmering wax.

Clear wax is the foundation for everything. Use it for the two-wax technique and to create new wax shades. Add a little paint to clear wax, and you’ll have endless wax shades at your disposal.

Gray waxes work beautifully over white and light-colored chalk paints. Waxes make it easy to highlight decorative cuts, crevices, and grooves in furniture. Gray wax also changes the color slightly, but less than brown wax. The result is elegant with a subtle patina.

White wax softens the color of the chalk paint and creates a hazy, misty lightness on the surface - sometimes giving it a slightly fabric-like texture. White wax adds beautiful “highlights” to furniture. Try white Frenchic wax in a Boho style to whiten yellowed rattan furniture or wicker surfaces.

Use a wax brush for waxing

Rub the wax into the chalk paint surface using a circular motion with a wax brush designed for the job. The circular motion gives the surface a beautiful, natural finish.

The best and most practical way to apply wax is always with a wax brush. A round wax brush lets you wax even decorative furniture quickly. Its bristles carry the wax effortlessly into furniture corners, crevices, and decorative grooves.

Add patina and wear to new furniture, too, with wax

The basics of Chalk Paint / chalk painting lie in layering and combining different techniques. Layering makes a project more interesting and personal - more dimensional than furniture simply painted over in a single shade, as in traditional furniture painting.

And you can use waxes with all the paints in the Frenchic range.

Waxes are used to create patina and highlight the beautiful decorative carvings on wood surfaces

When looking for inspiration online, you’ll surely see many beautiful painted pieces of furniture with gorgeous blended shades and depth on their doors, drawers and side panels - this kind of finish is created by applying several layers of paint and different waxes.

Colored waxes are an easy way to add dimension, highlight edges and corners, and give even newer furniture an aged, patinated and more distinctive look. Waxes bring out the texture of surfaces.

When creating a distressed finish and sanding through the paint here and there on your furniture, finish by waxing the entire piece. This protects the worn-through areas.

Sticky finish?

Frenchic natural waxes don’t leave a sticky finish - the waxes in the range are easy to apply in thin coats because they’re soft and easy to work with. A sticky finish always means the wax has been applied too thickly to dry.

The secret to using colored wax lies in the two-wax technique

Colored waxes are not meant to “paint” opaquely or thickly. Instead, apply light coats to add a subtle tint that highlights edges and grooves. The best results come from several thin coats - let the finish build up gradually, and inspect it from different angles and a little farther away as you work.

Read more about the two-wax technique. 

Antique or bare wood surface

Different wood species absorb wax differently. Natural waxes, such as Frenchic waxes, care for wood surfaces and beautifully bring out the grain. Antique furniture can also be cared for by waxing, if it has been waxed before.

Furniture painters, carpenters and other craftspeople love wax’s beautiful, silky-sheen finish on paint or wood surfaces, which feels wonderfully smooth to the touch, especially when polished.

Wax can make even a new wood surface look old

Try waxing a new wood surface with gray wax and see how it takes on the look of aged driftwood.

Even an ordinary rough-sawn board can easily be transformed into an “old barn wall board” with gray wax. Brown wax, on the other hand, creates a plank-like look.

In the image below, new, originally light-colored wooden beams have been treated with brown wax to give them a rustic, aged look. 

The hugely popular Frenchic hack - lighten a surface without sanding!

The viral Frenchic hack Turn boring boxings into lovely rustic wooden beams with Frenchic wax. Scratch the boards/beams to be painted, and make holes and dents to create a texture like a log surface underneath - the more, the better - then paint in the Creme de la Creme shade and apply wax to the dry surface - polish at the end if you like.

What is wax suitable for, and what isn’t it suitable for?

Wax is not suitable for outdoor use, and it cannot withstand frequent wiping with detergents. Therefore, wax is not recommended for kitchen countertops, (kitchen tables) or damp areas such as saunas.

Yellowed birch or pine surfaces, furniture or panel walls, ceilings or doors can be easily refreshed with white wax, leaving the wood grain beautifully visible. You can also wax log surfaces, various panels, doors, moldings, and new or old furniture.

Instead of wax, you can finish countertops and tabletops with matte 'Tuff Top Coat', which withstands wear and wiping well and doesn’t wear off with use like wax.

For furniture and surfaces that get heavy use, the best choice is waxed chalk paint Lazy Rage, with wax already included in the paint. For countertops, we recommend extra protection with topcoats. 

Learn more about what wax is and isn’t suitable for. 

Finish according to the level of wear

For furniture and surfaces that get heavy use, choose a high-quality chalk paint with wax already included.

Waxed chalk paint, Lazy Range, won’t let dirt penetrate once dry, and its surface can be wiped with a damp cloth or mild detergents. The wax in the paint cures to form a highly durable surface.

What if waxing goes wrong - Removing wax

Furniture that has previously been waxed cannot be painted over the wax; the wax must first be removed.

Note! Paint that already contains wax is different from a separate layer of wax. You can paint over Lazy Range colors, the wax-infused chalk paint.

You can remove a layer of wax with rubbing alcohol (an alcohol-based cleaning product), or by heating it and mechanically scraping the surface clean. Painting over a wax finish is not recommended, because water-based paints repel greasy surfaces - the new paint may crack or craze.

Wax can be removed with alcohol, such as rubbing alcohol, and mechanically by scraping if necessary.
If you're waxing for the first time, always test on a small area before treating the entire piece of furniture. Have a paint scraper, sander, and rubbing alcohol ready for wax removal.

Wax-infused chalk paint, Lazy Range, and Frenchic wax

Yes, you can and should use furniture waxes with wax-infused chalk paint too.

They let you create interesting layers and depth, and achieve the same patina and emphasis on wood details as with traditional chalk paint - colored waxes add the finishing touch to your furniture - durable wax-infused chalk paint already provides protection!

You can learn more here about the wax-infused paints in the Frenchic range, the Lazy Range, and here about Frenchic waxes.

Choose natural wax

It's good to know a few basics about waxes before choosing one for your project. There are several different types of waxes on the market: some contain solvents and other synthetic or toxic ingredients, while others have a strong scent. 

The side of the wax tin quickly tells you whether the product is safe; warning symbols are shown on the tin if the product is toxic.

If you haven't used waxes before, choose a soft-spreading natural wax for your project. For example, the waxes in the Frenchic range are natural waxes; they contain beeswax and carnauba wax (from the Brazilian palm tree). It's easy to fall in love with using high-quality waxes.

The beeswax-based Frenchic waxes and the range's high-quality wax brushes are also suitable for restoration projects, various woodworking projects, and professional use.

Frenchic waxes are not self-igniting 

Waxes in the Frenchic range have been awarded the European 'Toy Safe' certificate, so you can use them safely on children's furniture too.