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).

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The life cycle	Pro	Con
			Tips Products with many different compositions go under the name of furniture wax or hard wax. They are all a mixture of oil based ingredients (paraffin wax, white spirit) and natural ones (beeswax, carnauba wax or wood turpentine). This puts hardwax in between natural finishes and oil-based ones when it comes to environmental footprint. Choose for formulations with a higher content of natural ingredients if you want to reduce the environmental impact of your finishing process.

	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). Show Alternatives » Alternatives finishing Non toxic Acrylic paint Beeswax Chalk paint Clay and loam paint Flour paint Lime paint Linseed oil (boiled) Milk paint (casein) Shellac Tung oil Veneer (wood) Water based paint Wood filler (putty)

	Non toxic It is safe once dried.	Short lifespan Mildly water resistant. Moderately resistant to acids and alkali. Damaged by alcohol. Show Alternatives » Alternatives finishing Long lifespan 2 parts PU lacquer Chalk paint Clay and loam paint CNC engraving Epoxy filler Flour paint Laser engraving Oil based laquer Oil based paint Polyurethane varnish Screen printing Tung oil

	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. Show Alternatives » Alternatives finishing Easy recycling Milk paint (casein) Wood filler (putty)