Polishing a pine table will restore its luster.
Pine is a softwood that many people use to make relatively inexpensive furniture. Although you can buy unfinished pine furniture, most pieces that you find in the store have a finish. This is partly because the knots in the wood can bleed sap. A finish keeps the knots from bleeding. To polish a knotty pine table, it is important to clean the table and remove old wax buildup before you apply another layer of a wax or polish.
Instructions
Cleaning the Table
1. Dust the table, using old rags. It is best to dust wooden furniture several times a week to keep dust from building up on the finish.
2. Lay old newspaper underneath the table to protect the floor.
3. Pour almost a full cup of hot water in a shallow baking pan.
4. Pour a commercial cleanser-conditioner on top of the water until it completely covers the surface. Use the amount of cleaner specified by the manufacturer.
5. Dip a clean rag into the mixture, and use the rag to wipe the table clean. Use a toothbrush for curved areas or difficult-to-scrub detailing in the wood.
Polishing the Table
6. Dry the table completely and buff it with a soft cloth. If it has the right amount of sheen after cleaning and buffing, it does not need polish or wax.
7. Choose a furniture polish, wax or oil to give the table more gloss if necessary. Check the polish manufacturer's instructions to ensure that the product will work on the table you have. Lemon oil, paste wax, liquid silicone polishes, liquid cleaning polishes and cream wax polishes are all options for pine. Cream waxes and liquid cleaning polishes provide the least amount of shine, while silicone and paste waxes create more shine. Paste waxes offer lots of shine and protection with a little buffing. Silicone polishes add a lot of shine, but they are difficult to remove and smudge easily. Oils also work well, but they require lots of rubbing during their application and attract dust.
8. Apply the polish to the table, following the the manufacturer's instructions. All you have to do with some silicone polishes is spray them on. But most waxes and oils need to be rubbed on by hand.
Tags: cleaning polishes, liquid cleaning, liquid cleaning polishes, manufacturer instructions, pine table, silicone polishes