How To Seal Outside Wood Without Painting

Wondering how to protect a wood table without darkening this finish? I'm sharing what's worked for me to protect and seal our Restoration Hardware & Pottery Barn tables.

Over the past several years I've been asked time and time again whether I did something to seal and protect the Restoration Hardware and Pottery Befouled woods tables in our kitchen. The answer is "yes" and the way that I chose to seal them is really something I spent a lot of time researching and experimenting with before figuring out the best way to go about information technology. Today I'one thousand sharing the details of how I sealed both of our wood tables including a step by step how-to and the products I used to go the job done! (mail service includes chapter links; full disclosure argument available {here})

There are several dissimilar products you can successfully use to seal wood tables but ane of the nearly important things to me was finding something that didn't significantly darken the natural color of my table or make information technology shiny. The first woods table we had in our kitchen is Restoration Hardware'southward Dumont dining tabular array (it'due south no longer bachelor merely {this trestle table} is very similar):

To try and figure out how to best seal and protect information technology, I bought a woods sample from Restoration Hardware to test (1) clear polyurethane and (2) Waterlox on it and meet how they affected the look of the wood. As I thought they might, both sealers significantly darkened the color of my woods sample so I kept searching for a amend solution. Later more enquiry and another forest sample experiment, I plant that clear forest furniture wax was my best bet since it helps protect the wood without changing the color hardly at all.

Using the verbal steps and products I item below, I sealed our tabular array with wax and afterwards using it for several years (outset in our kitchen and so in our habitation office), there still isn't a single marking or stain on information technology!

Ceiling light found {here} Observe a full Source List for our dwelling house function {here}

Waxing our table worked beautifully for me but I do desire to brand the disclaimer that while we certainly have our share of spills at dinner only nosotros're not terribly rough on our tables. We don't have toddlers banging utensils on them or niggling boys running Matchbox cars up and down them like some of you might. Polyurethane and Waterlox sealers Do offering more hardy protection than wax (you lot can read more about using Waterlox in {this mail}) so you'll have to determine for yourself whether that extra protection is worth the trade-off of ending upwardly with a much darker table. In my case, it wasn't!

Subsequently remodeling our kitchen, I bought a new wood tabular array for our kitchen (Pottery Barn's Toscana Dining Table available {here} – mine is the Seadrift finish) and sealed it the same exact manner as our Restoration Hardware table, once again with results I've been thrilled with:

Here's the pace by step of how to get the job done:

one. Clean Your Table

Wax will trap whatsoever grit or particles on your table so it's important to give information technology a expert cleaning before sealing information technology. To clean mine, I mix a drop of clear dishwashing liquid into a bowl of warm water, dampen a microfiber cloth with information technology, wring out any excess, and wipe downwardly the unabridged tabular array.

I follow up by wiping the table downward with patently warm water, using a dry microfiber cloth to remove whatever excess water, and and then allowing information technology to completely dry out. Once dry, run a tack cloth such as one of {these} over the tabletop to make certain it'due south completely grit-gratuitous.

2. Become Prepare with Your Wax & Waxing Castor

There are several brands of clear wax to choose from but some don't actually dry quite equally articulate as others. My favorite is Crystal Clear paste wax (available {here}) which is a soft wax that goes on hands and dries truly clear. If it is out of stock, {this wax} is a very similar carnauba based wax that should piece of work the same. To apply the wax to your table, y'all tin utilize a lint gratis cloth like an old t-shirt simply a waxing brush like {this one} that has curved bristles works best. Prep for waxing by taking a scoop of wax out of the can and putting information technology on a plastic/paper plate. And so dab your waxing castor on the wax to very lightly comprehend the end of the bristles and offload whatsoever excess by dabbing information technology on a clean section of the plate:

Y'all do NOT want also much wax on your brush/cloth – applying sparingly to create a thin coat is key!

three. Apply a Very Thin Coat of Wax

Apply a thin coat of wax to your table using your waxing brush in a back and forth motion in the direction of the grain of the forest. Utilise balmy pressure level every bit you lot apply the wax to work it in and work in small sections, covering each section before y'all move on to the next.

It'southward not uncommon to lose a few beard from your brush while waxing and so pay attention to whatever lost bristles and pluck them from your waxed tabular array before it dries. Once you've coated the entire tabular array (don't forget the edges!), use a lint free cloth to wipe off any excess wax, applying pressure with your clean cloth in a dorsum and forth motion.

4. Let Wax Dry & Utilise 1-2 More Coats

Let the wax dry completely (I allow it dry overnight) and then apply a second thin coat in the same mode as the offset glaze, again wiping off the excess and allowing it to dry out. Echo the process for a third coat. After your final coat of wax, yous're done unless you want a shiny finish (I didn't desire my table shiny then skipped this next step). In this case, one time the last coat of wax is dry, buff your table with a clean material – the more than yous buff, the shinier the stop. Then simply await 2-3 days for the wax to fully cure earlier putting your table to utilise!

That'due south it! To go along your tabular array protected, information technology'south recommended that you reapply a layer of wax every twelvemonth or two. Honestly I never got effectually to information technology with our beginning kitchen table and it'due south been fine but it'due south definitely something to consider, particularly if your table gets a bit more abuse than ours. I hope this answers most of the questions that you guys take about sealing our table simply if not, ask away in the comments! Enjoy the residual of your weekend!