Very old funiture that has never been varnished-----only waxed and polished. It's been in storage for a while and is very DRY, and thirsty. What is the best product to give it new life that is not too labor intensive?
Tung oil after you remove the wax. Wonderful stuff, made from the seed of the Tung tree. Natural and food safe, easy to apply with excellent results. http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/tungoil.htm
Clean with Acetone or paint thinner. Removes wax with a fine steel wool. Tung oil is good, but over time darkens the wood, a good paste wax and elbow grease will give a great finish and can be removed unlike Tung Oil. Don't laugh but a good car paste wax is great not only on wood furniture but also your kitchen cabinets and enamel appliances (stove, frig, washer, dryer) Makes easy clean up.
We've had great success in restoring antiques using two products: 1. Milsek Furniture polish and cleaner (less expensive), and 2. Kramer's Best Antique Improver (more expensive) Both products are wipe-on, wipe-off. They remove old wax, restore finishes and moisturizes the wood. Very simply, very easy, beautiful results. See: Milsek Kramer's Best
You can try Watco Danish oil finish. I think it is made out of the oil pressed from Danes or Danishes. Works great on all my natural cherry furniture. Put it on with a sponge and rub with a piece of superfine steel wool, clean rag off the excess. Resulting finish is too nice for words. Most people who visit spend hours touching and feeling the furniture, remarking at how smooth and natural it feels. Nothing better than oil rubbed finish. Downside is that you will need to oil the furniture once a year but I feel it is worth it.
Pure Tung Oil has never darkened on me. On light woods it will give an amber tint but one that is desireable. Here is a cut and paste statement that is more comprehensive Penetrating finishes formulated with linseed, soy or paraffin oils actually go into the wood and enhance its natural beauty, but these oils often dry incompletely and fail to form a hard and durable surface. Furthermore, they develop a gummy build-up when additional coats are applied. Linseed oil, the most commonly used penetrating finish, darkens and changes color with time and finally disintegrates. A Polymerized Tung Oil finish is hard yet flexible, waterproof and impervious to alcohol and many food acids. Polymerized Tung oil as a penetrating oil allows wood to continue its aging process and to develop its patina. The wood's rich color and grain are enhanced by the natural ambering (coloring) of Polymerized Tung oil over time. Any sign of wear disappears when a thin "maintenance" coat of oil is rubbed in. The maintenance coats, rather than cause a build-up, actually improve the patina as they protect and preserve the wood. A floor, a piece of furniture, or any other wood object finished and maintained with Polymerized Tung Oil will never have to be stripped again. The finish will become more beautiful with time.
I don't like tung oil because it is a generally irreversible finish. It might be easier to find the Formby's products where you live. There is a green furniture cleaner (wipe on) and then lemon oil. If you want a more waterproof-type finish, go ahead and wax it with a paste wax made for wood. The rule of thumb for oiling a piece is this (told to me by an old restorer): Once a day for one week. Once a week for one month. Once a month for one year.
