I have always wanted to use wax to finish a piece of furniture for an outdoor space.

When the time came for me to find a coffee table for our covered pool patio, I didn’t want to buy anything.

Outdoor deck of the pool area on a summer night - J Dub By Design
A view of our back deck. Yes, it is still under construction.

Instead, I went to the barn in search of the perfect table. If you have followed me on Instagram for any length of time, you know that I call our barn “magical”.

I can find anything I want in there…..

And, I found the perfect piece……..in need of lots of TLC.

The table had been sitting in the barn for YEARS, and was covered in grunge and grime.

So, I drug it out of its temporary home, and began to get it ready for its forever home.

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Overview of My Technique

First, I sanded off the old finish, along with all the yuck it had accumulated over the years.

To do this, I used 120 grit sandpaper and my Makita sander.

But, instead of staining the table with polyurethane, I decided to try my hand with some furniture wax.

Since I already had tubs of Annie Sloan’s clear and dark wax on hand, I decided that was the way to go.

Ultimately, the dark wax did not give me as deep a finish as I wanted, so I purchased a small can of Annie Sloan’s black wax to finish the process.

This project can easily be completed this in one day.

However, I like to drag things out, so it took me two days. (which translated to roughly 4 hours of labor done over two days)

Note: I used Annie’s because that is what I had on hand. I’m sure any of the waxes on the market would work to achieve this same look.

Supplies

Sander

Sandpaper

Clear wax

Dark Wax

Black Wax

Chip brush or wax brush

Paper plate and bowl

Spoon to scoop out the wax

Lint free rag

Separate cloth to wipe table down

Water

Directions for Applying Clear Wax

  1. Sand the piece down to remove any of the previous finish.
sanding a table to be waxed - J Dub By Design
Sanding down the table

2. Make sure to sand the sides and legs of the table as well. I used regular sandpaper instead of my sander for this step because the sander would not fit in the grooves.

flipping a table over to be waxed - J Dub By Design
Sanding down the sides and feet

3. Wipe the table down with a dry cloth to remove dust and and debris remaining on the table.

wiping down a table to be waxed - J Dub By design
I wiped down the table with a dry cloth.

4. Then wet the cloth, and wipe the table down again.

wiping the dust off coffee table after sanding - J Dub By Design
Then, I wiped the table down with a wet cloth.

5. Allow the table to dry completely. This should not take more than 10 minutes.

clean coffee table ready to be waxed - J Dub By Design
I let the table dry for a few minutes.

6. Scoop some clear wax out into a plastic bowl with a knife or a spoon.

clear Annie Sloan wax and lint free cloth on table - J Dub By Design
I always work with wax in a separate container so that I don’t dry out the original tub of wax by leaving it exposed to the elements.

7. Using a lint free cloth, gently massage the wax into the table working in small areas. Keep in mind that a little wax goes a long way.

adding clear wax to the top of coffee table - J Dub By Design
Working in small sections, I buffed the wax into the table.

8. After waxing the top of the table, using the cloth continue to buff the wax into the sides and the legs of the table.

adding clear wax to the legs of table - J Dub By Design
Buffing the wax into the legs.

9. Next, use a wax or chip brush to get into the crevices of the table.

adding clear wax to the crevices in the legs of table - J Dub By Design
Using a wax brush to get into the crevices

Notes

I repeated this entire process 2 more times using the clear wax only. I allowed the wax to dry (not feel tacky) in between coats. It took approximately 20 minutes to dry. While the top was drying, I worked on the legs, and continued this process until the table had 3 coats of clear wax on the table top and two coats of clear wax on the table legs and sides.

Steps to Apply Dark Wax

  1. Place a scoop of the dark wax into the same bowl you used for the clear wax.
dipping cloth into dark wax - J Dub By Design
Moving on to the dark wax using the same bowl and cloth

2. Just as you did with the clear wax, buff the dark wax onto the top of the table using the lint free cloth.

adding dark wax to destressed areas on top of coffee table - J Dub By Design
Using the dark wax to highlight the imperfections and distressing on the table top

3. Then while the top of the table is drying, work on the sides and legs of the table with the dark wax.

rubbing clear wax into the sides of coffee table - J Dub By Design
Adding the dark wax to the sides of the table

4. After you have buffed dark wax into the entire table and it is dry, using the wax brush, add more dark wax to the crevices and distressed areas of the table.

adding wax to distressed legs on coffee table - J Dub By Design
I made sure to get the dark wax into the nail holes on the bottom of the legs.
coffee table after adding clear and dark wax - J Dub By Design
After one application of dark wax on the entire table and two applications of dark wax on the top.

Notes

I went over the entire table once with the dark wax. Once the table was dry, I added a second layer of dark wax to the top and distressed areas of the table.

I decided the table was not dark enough. So I went into town to my local Annie Sloan stockiest. I purchased some black Annie Sloan wax to see if I could get the table even darker.

Steps to Use the Black Wax

  1. Using the same bowl I used for both the clear and dark wax, I placed some black wax in the bowl. I dipped the same lint free cloth in the wax and buffed the black wax into the distressed areas on the top of the table.
rubbing dark wax into the distressed areas of top of table - J Dub By Design
Adding the black wax into all the imperfections.

2. Using the wax brush, I added back wax to the sides of the table.

dark wax on the edges of a table - J Dub By Design
Adding the black wax into the grooves on the sides.

3. Then, I buffed the black wax into the table.

adding dark wax to the crevices on sides of table - J Dub By Design
Using my wax brush, I buffed the wax into the sides

4. I went over all of the hardware on the table with some black wax and then buffed it in with the lint free cloth.

adding dark wax to metal elements on a table - J Dub By Design
Highlighting the hardware on the table using the black wax

5. After highlighting all the areas I wanted to darken with the black wax, I allowed the table to dry.

coffee table after adding a layer of black wax - J Dub By Design
I was very pleased with the look achieved on this table.

Here it is in its new location.

waxed coffee table in outdoor patio area - J Dub By Design
We moved the table to the outdoor patio.

And, another view…..

waxed coffee table outside - J Dub By Design
A side view of the table

Final Thoughts

I am thrilled with the gorgeous waxed finish I achieved on this piece of furniture. As for maintenance, I will only need to add another coat of clear wax every year or so to maintain the table and protect the finish.

We will also add some some feet under the legs to protect them from any blowing rain we sometimes get when Mother Nature is cooperating.

Now, are pool patio is finally complete.

I hope you will try these waxes when you refinish a piece of furniture.

You can purchase Annie Sloan paints and waxes by going to her website and entering your zip code. This will give you the stockists close to your location.

HAPPY WAXING!

How to Wax Furniture for A Gorgeous Finish
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