Trade Size Briwax

For those really big jobs – think about using the 7-pound or Trade Size can of Briwax.  This size can looks very much like a gallon paint can.   The Trade Size can is an economical purchase in lieu of 7, 1-pound cans.  Go to:

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Using Briwax Liquid

Briwax is a paste wax and usually a paste wax is a firm, solid form of wax.  This firm, solid form is traditionally how we all will want to use our paste wax.  That’s why we always tell customers who tell us their wax is liquid to “put it into the refrigerator” and just like butter it will become hard again.

But, what if you need to use Briwax on a rough sawn timber, a deeply carved piece (see the corbel below) or perhaps just a really rough piece of wood (see the piece of driftwood below)?  Take a look at these examples, what would you do – how would you apply Briwax to them?

You can liquify your Briwax and brush in on.  Here is the step-by-step process to safely liquify Briwax and use your Briwax in a liquid form.

• Using a slow cooker turned on high temperature, place your opened can of Briwax in a water bath.

• The water level for the “water bath” should be about 1/2 way on the can of Briwax. Do not let the water get into the can of Briwax.

• Once the water in the slow cooker gets hot, it will take about 15 minutes for a 1-pound can of Briwax to completely liquify (this also depends on the temperature where you’re working) or about 30 minutes for a 7-pound can of Briwax.
• Now that your Briwax is liquid, you’re ready to apply Briwax to your piece.  To brush the Briwax onto your piece, we recommend that you use an inexpensive, disposable chip brush.  These brushes are available at almost all hardware stores and are available in various sizes.
• Dip the brush into the Briwax and begin to brush the Briwax over the piece.

• Try and spread the Briwax as far as it will go while it is liquid.  Briwax will begin to solidify on the piece rather quickly.  How quickly the Briwax will solidify will also be dependent on the temperature of the piece on which you’re working as well as the ambient temperature of your workspace.
• As you’re working, the wax in the can (especially in cold weather) will begin to solidify.  Briwax can go from a liquid state to a solid state numerous times without  diminishing the quality of the product.  When the product becomes solid, simply place it back into the hot water bath.
• Once you’ve completely waxed the piece, you’re ready to buff.  Due to the fact that brushing Briwax onto the piece uses a substantial amount of wax, it will be necessary to let the piece dry for several minutes.
• Next, you should take a soft cloth and wipe down the piece to remove some of the excess Briwax.
• Now you’re ready to buff the piece using a tampico bristle brush.  You can use either the hand brush or one of the tampico brushes designed to be used with an electric, pneumatic or cordless drill.

• Once the buffing is complete, you’re done!

This method of liquifying Briwax is especially helpful in the winter when nature’s lower temperatures keep the wax firm and solid!

In the summer, it is always convenient to simply set your can of Briwax in a sunny spot for a few minutes and it will be liquid!

Remember that the color in the wax is suspended in the wax.  That means that even though the wax is liquid, you’ll still have all of the benefits of the color of the wax  —  just like if the wax was solid.

And for those of you whose Briwax is liquid and don’t want it that way . . .

BRIWAX will turn into a liquid in hot weather, or from sitting in a hot delivery truck all day.  This in no way diminishes the quality of the product.  Simply allow the container to come to room temperature to return to a paste form. You may hear the Briwax sloshing around in the can, don’t panic, pop it into the refrigerator – like butter, it will become hard again.

Briwax is the Final Finish

Remember, Briwax can be used over almost every cured finish, including paint.

Think of the Briwax finish as the protective finish for your furniture.  No matter what finish you have used, including paint, Briwax goes on TOP of that finish.

No other finish goes over Briwax.

No, not even paint is used over Briwax.  NO other finish is used 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 enhance and protect your furniture for years.

Briwax on Wrought Iron

Ebony Briwax is beautiful on wrought iron.  Yes, Briwax can be used on metals.  If there is any rust on the metal piece, the rust will be sealed with Briwax to prevent any further oxidation.

When applying Briwax, if the wrought iron is rough, use sand paper with a LIGHT hand to smooth the surface.

Then buff to a beautiful sheen.  That’s all there is to it.  Remember to use Briwax sparingly  —  it is better to make 2 light applications than one heavy application.  Always buff between applications of wax.

Customer Creativity

One of our good customers – Mrs. U –  sent us some photographs of her creativity using Briwax over paint.

When this chest was found at the “Bargin Box”, it was neon yellow and had contact paper on the top!  Using oil paint, the chest was first painted white (partly to cover the yellow paint, but also to serve as the sanded through color), the painted one coat of Sherwin Williams “Spirit in the Sky” (in our next life, we want to work for the paint company and name the colors!!).

The paint was allowed to completely dry.  Next the piece was sanded to reveal some of the white paint  —  and sometimes even a a touch of the neon yellow!

The final step was to apply Light Brown Briwax and buff.  Add new antique-looking glass hardware and you’re all finished!  Mrs. U reports that she had looked for an antique key for “looks”, but was able to find a key that actually works!

Here’s another piece from Mrs. U.

This china cabinet/secretarty was also a “find”!!  After painting the china cabinet a striking PINK, the color seemed just a little overwhelming.  Dark Brown Briwax was applied to the entire piece to “tone down” the PINK; however, after this step, the piece seemed too dark.  To lighten the piece, LIMING WAX was applied to the entire piece.  If you look closely at the piece, you’ll see some of the Dark Brown Briwax showing through while the Liming Wax accents the details.  The result is a unique “one-of-a-kind” china cabinet/secretary that has color and character – using just a few ingredients  —  Paint, Briwax and Liming Wax.

Here are some hints in using Briwax over Paint in these two examples:

1. Make sure that the paint has cured  —  that means that the paint is thoroughly dry.
2. If possible, have a sample board to experiment how to achieve the desired look.
3. If you’re not happy with the color, tone it down using Briwax.  For aging, start with Light Brown Briwax  —  you can always go darker if you want by using a darker color Briwax.  Light Brown Briwax is also a great color to use for aging a painted piece.
4. Experiment with Liming Wax.  It is the original “pickling wax” and is white in color.  Read more about Liming Wax.  The white wax may give you just the look you’ve been trying to achieve.
5. Don’t be afraid to experiment!  You’re the artist today, so get to painting  —  and have fun!!

Thank you Mrs. U for sending us your photographs and your success stories!!

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Briwax Photo Albums

Remember the adage, a picture tells a thousand words?  Well, we think that photographs are great teachers  —  don’t we oftentimes learn by a sample of seeing someone else’s work?  We wanted to share with you some of our photo albums that we think you’ll enjoy:

Briwax as the Only Finish

Briwax Over Paint

Briwax on Furniture

Briwax on Cherry wood

How do you use the Briwax Wax Filler Stick?

Maybe the first question should be  —  why do I even need a Briwax Wax Filler Stick?  The answer would be if you have a nail hole, a knot hole that needs to be filled or a perhaps a repair from a scratch that needs to be made.  Now that you’ve determined that you need a Briwax Wax Filler Stick, just how do you use it?  We’re going to show using the Briwax Wax Filler Stick on this 300 year old timber table pictured.  Here’s the area we’re going to repair “before”  —

And here’s the repair “after”:

• The first step is to determine the color filler stick you should use.  There are 5 colors available: English Light Oak (Golden Oak); Antique Pine (Light Brown); Jacobean (Dark Brown); Rustic Brown (Tudor Brown); and Antique Mahogany.  Of course, you should choose a wax stick color that as closely as possible matches the area on which you are working.  This looks like a pretty good match, don’t you think?

• The next step is to take the wax filler stick and rub across the grain – forcing the wax into the hole or scratch.

• Once the hole or scratch is completely filled with the Briwax Wax Filler Stick, take the plastic spatula (it is included with the wax stick), and gently move the end of the spatula across the filled area to level off and smooth the area and to remove any excess of the wax stick.

• Now that the area that has been filled is smooth, you’re just about finished!!  Now, all you need to do is to blend the repaired spot with the remainder of the piece of furniture – in this case, the table top.  This step can be accomplished by applying a small amount of Briwax and rubbing it into the repair area and the blending into the surrounding area.  Now, buff . . .

• And the final step . . . stand back and admire your beautiful repair job!!  That wasn’t too hard, was it?

Remember, Briwax can be used to fill small holes and scratches.  For bigger holes and deep scratches, a Wax Filler Stick will do a great job.

Having Trouble Finding Briwax?

We’ve had several customers tell us that they’re having trouble finding Briwax in their neighborhood.  No worries . . . we can ship Briwax directly to you.  Use this link:

BUY Briwax NOW!

and we’ll ship Briwax from Georgia within 1-2 Business days directly to your door.

Briwax over Paint

A few reminders about using Briwax over paint:

• Briwax may “lift” some of the paint  —  especially if the paint has not cured.  You make like this look – a more rustic, antique look.  Decide the look your going for prior to starting your project  —  don’t jump into the project without having a goal!
• Always, always have a test board for your project!  This gives you the opportunity to experiment!
• If you want to age your painted piece without “lifting” the paint, make sure that the paint has cured.  This means that the paint has entirely dried.  Wait a day or two before applying Briwax.  Apply Briwax in an inconspicuous area to make sure that there is no lifting of the paint.
• If you have allowed your painted piece to cure but you still want some areas where it looks like the paint has been “rubbed” off, simply lightly sand those areas.  Then apply Briwax.
• Milk paint is a very hard paint and Briwax will have very little “lifting” effect.  Milk paint will almost always need to be sanded to achieve a worn look.  Milk paint was used on the chairs in this photo.

• Light Brown Briwax is an excellent color to use over paint because it gives a soft aging color and a lovely sheen.  If you need only sheen, use Clear Briwax.  If you want a darker antiquing look, use Tudor Brown or Dark Oak Briwax.

Read more – use this link:   Briwax over Paint.

Happy New Year 2010

We wish you a Safe, Healthy and

Prosperous New Year in 2010!