For previous TIP OF THE WEEK click here.

Those who know us, know we recommend using toulene-free Briwax with Missouri Limestone Paint Company’s chalk-based paint.  It is so nice and buttery and goes on smoothly.  It rubs in well.  Then, with just a bit of buffing, you get a nice soft sheen.  Briwax does not take a lot of elbow grease and that’s always good.

Briwax does sell dark wax and we can and do get it.  It is great for a uniform color and if you have a very large project or do a lot of distressing with dark wax to get an antique look.  The consistency is a little different than the clear.  It goes into a liquid phase much quicker than the clear.  However, a few minutes in the refrigerator and you are back to a solid again.  This is normal, so don’t worry if your dark wax turns liquid.  Briwax also sells a liming wax.  I talked about liming wax in a previous Tip of the Week, when I did a tutorial on getting the restoration hardware look. Liming wax looks great over colors when you want to get that white washed beachy look.  I would not use it in bathrooms or kitchens, however.  For those areas, I would just thin down some white paint with water and do a wash.  Brush it on and wipe it off, then poly.

A good rule to follow when using any kind of antiquing wax – USE CLEAR WAX FIRST!  The reason is the clear wax base allows you to move the antiquing wax around more to get the look you want.  If you get too much just use a little more clear wax to wipe it off.  Without the clear wax, you won’t be able to work it as much and may not be happy with the final results.

Update:  It is very important to use Clear wax first on light colors.  On dark colors, however, I recently came across a tutorial in which clear wax isn’t applied first but in conjunction with the dark wax.  This produced beautiful results.  Keep in mind, you are still applying the clear wax before the dark wax has a chance to dry. https://sharsumpaint.com/2017/08/13/the-best-blackdark-wax-over-chalk-paint-tutorial-ever-by-jan-brown-kissick/

You also may not want to purchase a large can of dark wax or liming wax for just a small project or if you are experimenting with distressing techniques.  This is where this DIY tip comes in.  You can make your own antiquing wax with clear, toulene-free Briwax and any color of Missouri Limestone Painting Company (MLPC) paint you choose.  For liming wax I use “January” but I’ve made  antiquing wax with “French Roast” and “Grey Goose”, too. Can you use other waxes or paint?  I suppose, but I don’t sell those.  I stick to only what I like and use myself.

There is no scientific mix thing you need to know.  This is pretty simple.  I take about 2 Tablespoons of Briwax and mix in about 1 Tablespoon of MLPC.  Stir it well.  That’s it!  That’s all there is to it.  You can apply with a rag or brush. REMEMBER:  A clear coat of Briwax goes on first.  A tip I learned is to take one of the cheap chip brushes and cut about an inch off it.  You’ll then have a pretty sturdy, stumpy brush.  Applying your wax with this stumpy brush will let you dab it into all the nooks and crannies and move it around really well.  Make sure you don’t use too much and that you rub it in well.  You don’t want to have too much wax.  Let it dry for a bit and then buff.  Then apply your antiquing wax in the same way.  Work it around to get the look you are going for.  Then let it dry and buff.

That’s it!  This DIY tip is a great way for you to practice.  Go on….try it. It’s fun to distress with antiquing wax.

NOTE:  When using wax, you cannot seal it with poly after.  The poly does not work well on top of wax.  Remember the alphabet.  W is after P.  If you choose, you can apply a coat of wax over the poly.  Some people like to do that as wax helps repel dust.  But that is just a personal preference.  Poly is fine all by itself.