Popular Woodworking_-_November 2019

60 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING

Flexner on Finishing

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There are probably more

myths surrounding furniture pol-

ishes than any other single aspect of

wood fi nishing. What makes this top-

ic confusing are the often-silly claims

of manufacturers. They range from

half-truths, such as “furniture polish

preserves the fi nish,” to outright

absurdities, such as “furniture polish

replaces the natural oils in wood.”

The success of the furniture pol-

ish industry in convincing millions

of consumers that there’s oil in

wood that needs replacing with a pe-

troleum-distillate product through a

fi nish that’s there to keep liquids out

of the wood has to rank among the

great scams of American marketing.

Deceptive marketing has shifted

the emphasis away from the real ben-

efi ts of furniture polish as an aid in

dusting, cleaning and adding a pleas-

ant scent to a room (more important

to consumers than you might think).

In addition, some polish manufac-

turers have totally misrepresented

the benefi cial role of wax. Instead of

pointing out its long-lasting shine

and wear resistance, they have made

wax into a problem, claiming that it

keeps wood from breathing by stop-

ping up its pores, and that it builds

up to create a smeary surface.

It took me years to work my way

through the myths. But when I did, I

realized how easy furniture polishes

are to understand. This is because

there are only three types – four if

you include wax.

Keep in mind that it’s not the

wood that is being cared for. It’s the

fi nish, and all fi lm-building fi nish-

es, except shellac, are plastics, and

shellac acts like a plastic. So the most

important things a person can do are

to keep the plastic shielded from UV

light (which causes cracking) and

reduce abuse (scratches and dings).

Products

There are four categories of furni-

ture-care products: clear polishes,

emulsion polishes, silicone polishes

and wax. Within each category, the

only signifi cant diff erences are scent

and color (if these are added).

Clear polishes are usually com-

posed entirely of slow-evaporating

petroleum distillates, but they may

contain related solvents such as cit-

rus or turpentine. Just as you would

expect from your understanding of

paint thinner, clear polishes clean

grease and remove wax, but they

don’t remove water-soluble dirt

such as soft-drink spills or sticky

fi ngerprints.

Most clear polishes are packaged

in plastic containers, which makes

identifi cation easy – the liquid

can be seen as clear. Because clear

polishes evaporate off the surface

within a few hours, they aren’t eff ec-

tive at adding long-lasting shine or

scratch resistance.

Emulsion polishes are a combi-

nation of petroleum distillates and

water, and are always milky-white in

color. The combination makes these

polishes fairly eff ective at clean-

ing both grease and water-soluble

dirt. But because the ingredients

evaporate rapidly, these polishes

also don’t add long-lasting shine or

scratch resistance.

Most emulsion polishes are pack-

aged in aerosols and are easily iden-

1

2

Understanding Furniture Polishes

By Bob Flexner

There are only four categories, so it’s easy.

1 There are four types of furni-

ture-care products. From the left

are examples of clear polishes,

emulsifi ed polishes, silicone polishes

and paste wax.

2 It’s ultra-violet light that is primar-

ily responsible for the deterioration

of fi nishes. Notice the middle of this

100-year-old drawer front where the

pull had blocked the UV light. The

fi nish is nearly like new.