What Does Beeswax Do To Wood?


Beeswax for wood is usually used as a polish for furniture to bring out its natural beauty. Due to being inexpensive and being readily available, beeswax is used a lot as a polish for wooden items or furniture. Being natural and non-toxic are some of its many benefits.

Beeswax or beeswax polish for wood, when applied to wood gives it a natural shine, absorbs itself in the wood fibers, and also seals it. The sealing means that the wood repels any additional moisture whether it be from water, another polish, or chemical.

Now that you know some of its benefits for using on wooden furniture, let us dive into why most people prefer to use beeswax over other types of polishes available in the market, and what are the relevant uses of beeswax for any type of wood.

Positive Effects Of Beeswax On Wood

Beeswax being a natural substance and being easily available is one of the many reasons why people prefer to use it for beautifying their wooden furniture and due to it being edible it can also be used on wooden eating bowls and utensils. Below are some of the positive effects of beeswax on wood:

1. Gives the wood a good glow and shine

If you have old furniture that has a dull and lifeless sheen then applying beeswax polish to your furniture, renews its glow and gives it a good shine that is very much pleasing to the eye. This also makes the furniture look newer.

2. It nourishes the wood:

Beeswax seeps into the wood grains, which prevents it from drying out and renews the wood look. This resultantly gives the wood its sheen. The beeswax also being all-natural and without any chemicals is not dangerous to wood.

  

3. Seals the wood:

When beeswax gets absorbed into the wood grains, it gives the wood a sealing effect which prevents the wood from drying out and losing its moisture. This also prevents the wood from getting a dull look.

4. Can be used on most wood types and surfaces

Beeswax and beeswax polish can be used on almost all types of wood and wooden surfaces because of their natural composition and lack of chemicals. Therefore you can apply them to even natural woods such as beech, teak, walnut, e.t.c. without worry.

5. It repels other substances:

Beeswax when properly applied to wood helps to repel other substances which include water and other wood polishes. This means that once beeswax is applied, it is the only polish you will ever need. This makes the wooden surface almost waterproof.

6. Covers scratches and improves sun-damaged areas

For furniture that has become damaged by scratches and damage due to the heat or being exposed to the sunlight you can use beeswax to “repair” it. Just apply beeswax on the affected areas and it will hide the damage.

7. Restores the natural beauty of the wood

For furniture or wooden items which have been exposed to dust or have become old, using beeswax you can restore their natural beauty by improving the color of the furniture and giving it a good finish. The beeswax “darkens” the color of the wood making it look like new.

Negative effects of using beeswax on wood

Using beeswax on wood as a polish does have many benefits. However, there are a few drawbacks of using beeswax on wood that are not usually stated. These disadvantages of using beeswax on wood should be considered when choosing a polish for your wood.

1. Treatment not finish

One major drawback of using beeswax on wooden items or furniture is that it requires reapplying after a while to the furniture or item again. This means that the beeswax as a polish is not permanent, hence it is more of a wood treatment and not a finish.

A wood finish when applied, is usually permanent and does not require to be re-applied. However, in the case of beeswax, it is more of a wood treatment because it needs to be re-applied again and again.

2. Needs to be reapplied if left under the sun

As stated earlier, beeswax needs to be re-applied after some time. Heat is one of the major reasons this needs to be done. When exposed to heat the beeswax in the wood starts to soften which allows it to be removed easily.

Therefore, in rooms exposed to major heat or sunlight, you should try to minimize the use of furniture which has been coated with beeswax. Another issue with beeswax becoming soft is that your furniture is more prone to getting dust.

-Repels some other finishes:

Once you apply beeswax to the wood, another finish, can not always be applied, especially if it is a polish The usual solution to this is applying a polish before giving it a beeswax finish. This cannot be done every time without removing the beeswax so it’s better to choose one polish you want to use.

Are All Brands of Beeswax The Same Quality?

Beeswax has different grades and also comes in different forms and types. It has four grades: pharmaceutical / cosmetic grade, general use/industrial grade, organic and raw.

It has three different types which are yellow, white, and beeswax absolute.  Beeswax is sold in different forms such as pellets, block, and paste. The paste is usually used for polishing wooden furniture, but the block can also be used as a polish after melting the wax.

A good beeswax polish to use for your wood items and furniture is the Cargen Beeswax which is available on Amazon for a pretty low price. This brand is great to use for all types of furniture, so check it out if you need to buy beeswax.

To give a proper wax finish to your furniture using beeswax make sure to follow the instructions when applying the polish to your furniture. If you are relatively new to this, our beeswax finish tutorial, it will be quite helpful to you.

Final thoughts

As we have seen, beeswax is a great product to use to give your wood a wax finish. It’s natural, cheap, has no use-by date, easy to apply, and beatifies wood by giving it a natural shine. It can also be applied to all types of wood and if needed, can easily be removed as well.

If you use beeswax for wood just ensure that you don’t apply it to wood that will be exposed to direct heat or be in under too much sun. Any wood that is being handled or used regularly should not have beeswax as it will just have to be reapplied again. Educate yourself and experiment with different finishes to find the best for your requirements!

Martin Swizz

Hi! This is Martin, I like to research, experiment, and learn new things related to wood carving and other kinds of woodworking.

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