Furniture wax
Furniture wax
Furniture wax, also known as hardwax or floor wax. Main ingredients are beeswax, carnauba wax or paraffin wax, mixed with turpentine (chemically treated natural resin) or white spirit (petroleum derived). Sometimes it can be mixed with oils, resins, pigments, fillers and drying agents. Carnauba wax is extracted from the dried leaves of the wax palm (Copernicia cerifera). Carnauba wax is very hard and water resistant. Beeswax comes from the honeycombs of different bee species(1).
The life cycle |
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Easy reuse Furniture wax has a shelf life of a few years. |
Toxicity If turpentine or white spirit are used as solvents, vapours can be irritating to the skin, eyes and respiratory system, as well as the central nervous system when inhaled. Ingestion is even worse (1).
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Non toxic It is safe once dried. |
Short lifespan Mildly water resistant. Moderately resistant to acids and alkali. Damaged by alcohol.
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Easy reuse Hardwax finish is easy to repair, making products reusable also when the top layer is scratched. |
Difficult recycling Furniture wax (depending on the brand and composition) is considered a hazardous waste. Needs to be disposed of separately.
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Links
What
European hardwax oil on Solid Wood Products
This Wikipedia article has a super neat comparison of clear wood finishings
Eco info
Product infosheet of Aquamarin eco wax (in Dutch)
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Other Finishing
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Examples on Harvestmap.org