When you are working with wood, it is important to note that for every project that involves wood, you will always need to varnish it in one way or the other so that it does not lose its shine and so that it can always stay protected from the elements. For this reason, people do not want to overlook the importance of varnish when working with wood.
The best two types of wood varnishes include oil and wax finishes, which can not only give you a perfect result but can also ensure that you will always be able to find it and that you will be able to get the perfect result regarding your wood varnishing every time no matter what.
So, if you are wondering what type of wood varnish you should buy and invest your money in, then you have come to the right place as we will discuss all there is to know about the two best types of wood varnishes.
Wax finish
First, we will look at some of the advantages of working with wax varnish over oil varnish.
Pros
- Wax finishing provides an excellent source of protection from any kind of weather so that you are easily able to protect your wood flooring from other types of extreme weather.
- It is extremely eco-friendly, meaning that you will be reducing your carbon footprint if you use this wax varnish over oil finishing for your wood project.
- If it is sourced naturally, it is also extremely non-toxic, meaning nothing bad will happen if it gets on your skin.
Cons
- It is extremely brittle, meaning that if you are not careful with it, it can easily chip off and flake off, which means that you will need to be extremely careful with it.
- Compared to other wood varnishes, the wax wood finish will need to be reapplied at least once a year or even after several months so that it is not chipped off or does not flake off.
- It is not water-repellent, meaning that if there is heavy rain and you use wax wood varnish on your outdoor porch that has a wood finishing, then it will rub off with heavy rain.
Oil finishing
Now, the next finish we will look at is oil finishing and see what advantages and disadvantages it may offer.
Pros
- The wood will likely absorb the oil that you put onto it, and it will prevent it from ageing and rusting a lot better.
- An oil varnish will also help with sunlight degradation and stop it from further harm from elements and extreme weather.
- It is very lightweight as it is not as dense; therefore, a contrasting lighter finishing is the way to go for denser woods.
Cons
- The oil varnish is usually very expensive. Therefore people do not usually prefer to use it over wax.
- It can be difficult to maintain as it requires a lot of basic maintenance.