Beeswax is a natural substance made from beehives. This wax is created from the saliva of honey bees when building their hives. Beeswax is usually white, yellow, or brown because it is mixed with pollen oils.
Beeswax has many benefits for humans. Therefore, today the use of beeswax is almost unlimited. One of the functions of beeswax is as a material for the care and finishing of various wood products, including wood floors.
Beeswax for wood floors is used as a protective material because it can increase the resistance of wood substrates to weather changes. In addition, it can also beautify and sharpen the color of the wood floor.
The previously dull wood color can be brightened after being coated with beeswax. The beauty of the wood floors will be more visible and durable when compared to those who don’t use beeswax as a coating.
Are you planning to use beeswax to finish your wood floors? Let’s find out more about beeswax for your hardwood floors first.
Things to Consider Before Using Beeswax for Wood Floors
Choosing a finish for a wooden floor cannot be arbitrary; it would be better if you adjust it to your needs.
Should you wax wood floors? Before using beeswax on your hardwood floors, here are a few things to consider.
Floor for Indoor or Outdoor
This will affect the resistance of the beeswax itself. Beeswax will last longer if used for wood floors in the indoor areas of your home. If you plan to install wood floors for outdoor areas in your home, you should choose another finish, such as polyurethane paint.
Types of Wood Floors
Beeswax cannot be used for all types of wood floors. Never use beeswax if your hardwood floors are engineered hardwood or laminated wood floors, as these materials cannot absorb the wax.
Pros and Cons of Beeswax for Wood Floors
Is beeswax good for wood floors? Although it has been widely used on hardwood floors, it does not make beeswax perfect. What are the advantages and disadvantages of beeswax for wood floors? Let’s find it below!
Advantages of beeswax finish
Easy to apply
This will be very profitable for you, especially for beginners or those who only have a little time. Since it’s easy to apply, you don’t have to go through a lengthy process of doing lots of experimenting.
Waterproof
The main content of beeswax can protect against water or water splashes on furniture. This is important because interiors with wood materials, including floors, are very susceptible to water.
Beautify the look of the wooden floor
Beeswax will make your wooden floor look beautiful with a natural shine. Beeswax can restore the sharpness of the lost wood color.
With beeswax for wood floors, the color of your dull wooden floor will become bright. It is used to restore the shine of parquet floors and prevent the wood from drying out.
Safe to use
This material is also considered safe to use. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, commonly abbreviated as JECFA, states that beeswax is a non-toxic material that is safe for human use.
Environmentally friendly
By using beeswax, you can take part in protecting the earth, you know! As we know, beeswax is a natural substance produced directly from living things –bees– so we can be sure that this product is safe and environmentally friendly.
Disadvantages of beeswax finish
Its use is limited
As mentioned earlier, not all wood surfaces can be applied with beeswax. Some types of wood, such as engineered wood and laminated wood flooring, are not suitable for using beeswax because they already have a protective coating.
Requires periodic maintenance
Beeswax is a material that is not resistant to scratches, so you need to reapply beeswax for wood floors regularly to keep your floor beautiful.
Difficult to remove
Because beeswax absorbs into the wood’s pores, removing it from hardwood floors can be problematic, especially if it’s been sitting there for a long time.
High maintenance
With time and use, dust and dirt accumulate more easily than in other finishes, which makes it necessary to reapply a new layer of beeswax with some frequency. Although on the other hand, as we have already pointed out, it is quite simple and quick to do.
Pricey
Beeswax is a 100% natural product; for this reason, its price is relatively high. The consequence is that cheaper synthetic waxes often replace them.
Waxing Polyurethane-Coated Hardwood Floors
Polyurethane is often used on wooden floors because it can provide maximum protection to the wood. This is known as the highest quality coat that has been formulated so the molecular sequences of the resin will bond properly.
This finishing material is more resistant to water, impact, and scratches thanks to this ability. The resulting transparent appearance will give a warm impression of wood. This will create a thick, natural impression when used for outdoor furniture.
Then, one question becomes: Is it necessary to wax polyurethane-coated hardwood floors? The answer is no.
Waxing on hardwood floors with polyurethane coating makes your wood floors look dull. In addition, the floor becomes slippery, so it is prone to slipping when crossing it.
Other names of beeswax
The beeswax is very easy to apply with a brush or steel wool. After application, allow the beeswax to dry and then buff it with a lint-free cloth or soft brush.
Over the years, many different names have been created for beeswax products. For example, the product is also called Antique wax or Turpentine wax.
Nowadays, there are many different colors of beeswax for sale. The most commonly used colors are white transparent beeswax, yellow beeswax, dark brown beeswax, and mahogany color beeswax. But new products such as white or gray lime wax are also beeswax products.
Wax for Hardwood Floor
You can still use waxing on your hardwood floors even though they have been given a coating beforehand. Wax will protect your hardwood floors previously coated with materials such as shellac or lacquer.
If you decide to wax the floor, use hard wax. You apply this to the parquet in 2 layers. Hardwax ensures that the floor becomes water-repellent, protects your floor against acids and dirt, and fills in the microscopic height differences through the 2nd layer.
People often opt for hard wax because a lacquered floor can be irreparably damaged too quickly, and an oiled floor is considered too laborious to maintain. Moreover, you can easily clean a hard wax floor. Hardwax also gives your floor a satin gloss or matte gloss.
You can also apply color with hard wax. This is possible with oak or other light woods. Hardwax is not suitable for dark woods because it gives white scratches. And if you let too much hard wax harden on your floor, there will be greasy streaks.
Minor damage can be touched up locally by lightly sanding the floor with fine steel wool. Then use hard wax maintenance oil to repair the damaged part. We recommend applying a layer of hard wax oil every 2 years to maintain the floor.
How to wax hardwood floors?
Waxing a wooden floor is a bit of work, but the floor will thank you for it.
Because this one has to deal with high heels, spilled drinks, other accidents, and all the hard things that fall on your wood floor.
Read about how to wax your floor below.
Sanding imperfections
Apply coarse emery cloth to the wood sander before sanding for the first time to swiftly remove big imperfections.
Move the wood sander in a 45-degree oblique direction across the floor. Working in the same direction rather than back and forth produces an equally good result.
Remember never to stop the machine while it is operating since it can soon hollow out the wood.
As a result, always elevate the sanding drum promptly at the start and completion of work.
Apply emery cloth to the wood sander
Sand the floors again, this time in the planks’ longitudinal direction.
Apply fine emery cloth to the wood sander for the final sanding: the finer the sandpaper, the better the finish. Sand the floor along the length of the boards.
Sand difficult corners with a hand sander. Experienced handymen can also use an edge sander. Apply the coarse sanding disc again, followed by the medium and fine sanding cloths.
Then vacuum the floor as well as the cracks. Finally, use a slightly damp mop to wipe off the floor.
Impregnate wood floor
Wax provides the floor with a natural appearance.
You can determine whether an impregnating agent is already present in the wax by reading the instructions for usage. If this is not the case, the floor must first be impregnated.
Fill a bucket with impregnation and apply it in a thin layer on the floor, including the seams. You can begin applying the wax when the floor is clean and dry.
To see the effect of wax, test the result on a loose piece of wood or in an inconspicuous corner first.
Apply the wax
How should beeswax be applied to floors? It is better to apply the wax in circular motions, one at a time.
Allow the floor to dry for 10 minutes before rubbing the wax again. Repeat these steps until the floor is uniformly matted. Every time, remove extra wax right away.
Finish with a polishing machine
Begin by rubbing the wax into the floor with the roughest brush. Remove the toughest, middle, and softest brush to achieve a lovely matte gloss. You must repeat these processes until the floor is no longer sticky.
Some bald spots may occur here and there over time. They may be updated with special maintenance wax. Waxing your floor once a year helps keep it looking lovely.
Remove wax Stains
Your wood floor can grow greasy and dirty over time. This is conceivable since multiple coats of wax have already been applied, resulting in a thick coating of wax that retains dirt and appears blotchy.
After that, use a wax cleanser/ remover to clean your floor. This cleanser cleans your floor by removing old layers of wax.
Although it varies depending on the product, diluting one part wax remover in two parts warm water is normally required: the cloth is then moistened in that mixture and wiped over the floor.
Due to the “strength” of the remover, which acts swiftly on the wax to be removed, do not let it act for more than 10 minutes. If we go too far, we risk having the removed product “stuck” to the floor again, causing stains.
If this occurs, start over from the beginning. After removing the product, the floor must be well-dried before applying the wax.