Sealing the oiled/waxed finish on mahogany

[Anh-Dao Vlachos]

Hi all, hope I have the right forum for my question.

I'm thinking of buying an Asian mahogany bedroom suite (see the Timber forum if you really want all the details!). The finish we preferred was called "oiled/waxed" and as it was explained to me, they basically polish it on to the wood using a rag, almost like applying boot polish.

Now I noticed that this wax "scratches" very easily, but the scratches rub off with a brisk wipe from a tissue or similar. So they are (hopefully) in the wax rather than the wood itself.

What I also noticed is that some of the brown polish is coming off on the tissue as well. I am a bit concerned about our linen getting brown stains all over it! (and keep your minds out of the gutter everyone). The guy said he could finish the slats and inside rails with some sort of spray (I think he may have mentioned the word "Estapol") to stop this. But he wasn't going to do all the surfaces of every piece.

I'd like to ask everyone if there is a product that we could apply at home, to "seal" the polish so it doesn't come off when rubbed. We don't have any sort of spray equipment so it would have to be rags and elbow grease. I was looking at the ubeaut product page and saw there was a "traditional wax" and also the "polish reviver" - would one or both of these be useful and in what order would I apply them? (wax last I guess). Or something else maybe?

Many thanks in advance,
Anh-Dao

[DPB]

Anh-Dao, call me a cynic by nature, but I worry about a finish on "mahogany" that very easliy rubs off leaving a brown stain on everything that touches it.

Mahogany is such a beautiful timber, I question why anyone would find it necessary to stain it with a "boot polish" type finish. Are you absolutely confident that you are dealing with a merchant that is trustworthy?

Perhaps you should consider taking into the showroom a cabinet maker who really knows timber to verify the species of timber.

Some furniture dealers wouldn't know mahogany from pine. Buyer beware!!!

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Woodchuck Canuck
Good luck is the residue of good planning!

[Anh-Dao Vlachos]

Thanks Woodchuck (is that the right name to call you?!) I too am a cynic, and what's more I'm usually paranoid too, so this is why I've suddenly appeared on online forums to ask people more knowledgeable than myself http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

The polish doesn't rub off with a light touch, but does rub off with hard pressure applied. I do think it is mahogany, but whether it is high-grade mahogany is another question (hence my agony-posts to the timber forum).

Any cabinet makers that you know who would be willing to go on an expedition in Melbourne's CBD this weekend would be very welcome http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif Unfortunately I don't think I know any!

Yours in indecision,
Anh-Dao

[Anh-Dao Vlachos]

YAY!!!
In one of my earlier posts, I said:
"Actually, my ideal bedroom suite would be made of jarrah - but I don't earn the kind of money to be able to buy one of those, and we certainly don't have the skills to make it ourselves."

Guess what? All that running around has paid off. Even though I'm not making it myself, I have found a lovely 4-piece jarrah bedroom suite for just under $3500. Delivery next week!! I can hardly wait!

It's a clearance from one of the bigger furniture chains "because nobody wants to buy jarrah"!! (I can't figure this out - it's such a beautiful wood and I would have thought there's plenty of us out here who can't make stuff out of it to save our lives, but who'd love to buy it). And because I've visited probably half the furniture shops in Melbourne http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif I know this is a good retail price for four pieces!

It is finished with a sprayed timber lacquer so no rubbing off of colour. And it's Aussie wood so no chance of cracking/warping (or at least, much less chance than Indonesian mahogany...)The bits that are not jarrah are the drawer bottoms, the backs on the bedsides and dresser, and the slats on the bed (these are all pine, though funnily enough one of the bedsides is different and does actually have jarrah in the bottom of the drawers).

And the bed is GREAT, I normally don't like Federation-style but when the posts are fine and closely spaced like on this one, the whole thing takes on a much better look in my eyes. And talk about solid, we couldn't move the thing no matter how much we pushed...

Thanks to youse all for the replies and advice, it certainly did help, and I'm feeling much more comfortable in my mind about this suite than the mahogany one. Sorry to be a bit off-topic.

PS not that this is a plug, but has anyone visited Heartwood in Eltham, Vic? I went there today and came out a True Believer. BEAUTIFUL stuff...and some timbers that nobody else in the business seems to use (eg needlewood, fiddle-back shining gum - it was love at first sight). My dining table is gonna hafta come from there!!

Cheers all and I'll stop bothering everyone now,
Anh-Dao

[RETIRED]

See what procastination gets ya http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[Anh-Dao Vlachos]

Yep - a better bedroom suite!

And it ain't procrastination at all. It's a girl's god-given right to compare anything and everything in sight before making up her mind on the final purchase. Why guys seem to always complain about this I don't know - it's certainly worked in this case! http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

*dons asbestos undies in readiness for the flames...*

Anh-Dao (shopper extraordinaire...)

[Kev Y.]

Anh-Dao, modesty prohibits me from giving you too much of a flame, beside once reminded me that there are women who monitor this site!!

Damn today is your lucky day!!

Kev http://www.ubeaut.biz/ahgee.gif

[Anh-Dao Vlachos]

Hey Kev,
Don't worry - any flame you could have sent me has already been said many times by the guys who have ever gone shopping with me!!! I've become heatproof (just like polyurethane lacquer...!)

Speaking of women, am I the only girl currently posting to the forums? I must admit I haven't checked them all out. I did see someone called "Sandy" on a couple of forums, but other than that, have I stumbled into Blokesville??! http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

Cheers,
Anh-Dao (seriously off-topic now...)