Sheen, No Sheen, You Decide

Most of the time, people are looking for a sheen for their furniture.  Recently, we have had several people ask us how to decrease the sheen on their furniture!  Decreasing the sheen has a very easy solution . . . simple apply Briwax in the color of choice and don’t buff.  As we’ve said previously, you’ll know when Briwax is dry because it turns dull.

Even if you decide not to buff out Briwax, it is still important to apply the wax in light applications.

Remember, even after you buff your Briwax finish, a wax finish will always be a softer sheen than using a poly or plastic finish.

What is Briwax 2000?

Briwax 2000 USED to be the name for the Toluene Free formula of Briwax.  Remember in 1999/2000 when everything was named the catchy “2000″ to designate a new, exciting product?

Well, after many years, the “2000″ label became old and actually, dated.  Hence a few years ago, the official Briwax designations became Originaland TF or Toluene Free.  The designation “2000″ is NO longer used on any new cans distributed in the US - even though a retailer could possibly still have some stock of cans that read “Briwax 2000″.

So, if you’re looking for Briwax 2000 - you should now be looking forBriwax Toluene Free.

To learn more about the Original and Toluene Briwax, read further in our blog “Briwax is Available in Two Formulas”.

Briwax is the FINAL finish

Briwax can be used over almost every cured finish and Briwax is the FINAL finish.  Think of the Briwax finish as the protective finish for your furniture.  No other finish goes over Briwax.

Remember to use Briwax sparingly and to buff after each application.  You’ll never have any wax build-up and you’ll end up with a museum quality finish that will enahance and protect your furniture for years.

The Briwax Family of Fine Products

From time to time, we’ll introduce you to some of the other products that carries the fine Briwax family of products name - including:

Sheradale Wax, Liming Wax, Natural Creamed Beeswax, Danish Oil, Teak Oil, Marble Wax, Furniture Cleaner, Water-Based Wood Dyes, Shellac Sanding Sealer, Wax Filler Sticks, Touch-up Dye Pens . . .

How do I remove Briwax?

We’ve been asked the question:  How can I remove Briwax from my piece of furniture?  Briwax can be removed using mineral spirits (paint thinner). Just take a cloth, we prefer white so that you can see the wax, and dampen it with mineral spirits. Wipe the area where you wish to remove the wax and the petroleum distillate in the paint thinner will dissolve the wax and your cloth will remove it. Rinse out your cloth in the mineral spirits and repeat until the cloth shows no signs of wax. Let the mineral spirits evaporate before attempting any other procedures on the piece.

How long will my Briwax finish resist a spill?

Envision waxed paper - when you put liquid on the waxed paper, it beads then within a few minutes, the liquid is absorbed into the waxed paper. Briwax will resist a liquid spill for about 20 minutes before the liquid is absorbed into the finish. Simply wipe off the spill and rewax, if necessary.

Briwax is Reversible . . .

What does that mean?

Technically Briwax is an evaporative finish, which means that every time you introduce a petroleum distillate (mineral spirits) to wax, you will dissolve the wax.

Nothing is harmed of course, but a lot of house maids panic when they think they have "ruined" the furniture by spraying a liquid polish such as Pledge over a waxed finish. Simply reapply Briwax again and the problem is solved.

Reversible also means that you can alter the subtle color that Briwax reflects.

For instance: You have a beautiful Mahogany piece that you believe is too "red". Apply Dark Brown Briwax to "tone-down" the red and the piece will appear more in the "Auburn" range of color. If you don't like this effect simply rewax with Antique Mahogany and the red of the piece will be highlighted again. You see, it's reversible! You may do this in ten minutes or ten years, it doesn't matter, it is always reversible.