To create a paste wax that mimics the color of your wood or enhances the color of wood grain, the addition of pigment offers endless possibilities. Old furniture, floors or other wood can be revived, or new wood given a safe, non-toxic finish. Black pigment is often used to deepen the grain. White pigment gives a bleached effect, (and thus the name Liming Wax). And the use of other colors adds a more complex finish to floors or furniture.
Ingredients
- 3-5 parts Paste Wax
- 1 part Pigment
Using a palette knife or butter knife, mix wax with pigment in a small dish until completely combined, (adjust the wax to pigment ratio depending upon the transaprency desired). Apply with a lint-free cloth or soft steel wool, being sure to work the wax into any grooves or pits of the wood. To enhance the grain of wood, first use a wire brush with the grain to deepen it and remove any soft pulp. Allow wax to dry for 2-24 hours. Finally, buff with a lint-free cloth and apply a final untinted coat of wax to seal.
Polishing Plaster or Lime Paint with Wax
The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans appreciated the beauty of polished marble. However, when their buildings started to sink in the mud, the builders in Venice had to come up with an alternative solution. Thus Venetian plaster was born. One of the many variations of this versatile finish is a highly polished look achieved with a final waxing over the burnished surface.
Waxing as a final step in Plaster or Lime Paint enhances color and texture. It serves as a surface sealer that can be buffed to a soft sheen or a high gloss. After your final plaster or paint coat is dry and burnished, apply wax using a clean blade or cotton cloth. Blade application on plaster enhances blade patterns. A thinner application with a soft cloth on plaster or paint can be dabbed and feathered as it as applied making it even more soft and subtle. Wax will enhance the color, so test samples are always recommended to determine the final result. After the wax has dried buff to the polish desired.
Paste wax can be used if neutral in color and mixed with pigments for a color effect or micas for a metallic one. The formula is 1 part pigment or mica to 3 parts wax. You can add less pigment or mica for a more subtle effect, but do not use more. Only one application is required.
Color ideas might include antiquing by using Umber or Sienna pigments; creating a two tone effect by mixing another color over your tinted plaster or lime paint. Complimentary metallic mica colors over wall colors might be Majestic Gold over Light Yellow Ocher, Silver Pearl over Blue Charrette and Super Bronze over Havana Ocher. The possibilities are so varied it invites great artistic expression.