UPDATE: I’ve been asked about using liming wax to try to go lighter. I gave it a try! See my results here. Once you're happy with the colour, protect it with one or two coats of Briwax Danish Oil or Briwax Teak Oil. Danish Oil has a matt/satin finish, and Teak Oil gives a gloss finish. Sand between coats with very fine sandpaper or 0000 steel wool. See the section on finishing floors with Danish Oil above for more details. Briwax Oils penetrate, feed, and harden the fibres of bare wood, giving a durable water-resistant surface not prone to chipping or flaking. Use them on kitchen cupboards, bench tops, tables, chairs, floors, windows and doors, or any other wooden surface. No, Briwax Danish Oil does not come in colours, but you can tint it with Briwax Spirit-based Wood Dye. The resultant coloured oil does not have a long shelf life, and so it should be mixed and used within a few days. The disadvantage of mixing the Wood Dyes with Oil is that you are committed to a specific colour. If you apply the Wood Dye to your wood first, you can add more or different colours until you are happy with the colour, and then seal the colour with Oil afterwards. If you apply tinted Danish Oil and don't like the finished colour, you will need to sand the finish off before you can re-colour the timber.

Briwax colour Teak products available from Brewers

Rub the wax on, generally going with the grain. I found it easy to use a little extra and then just wipe off rather than trying to spread too little around. The picture below shows the very beginning of my process on this door. I started in the corners and edges first, then wiped the flat recessed panel of the door next.Along the edges where the grain is perpendicular to the edge, I just sort of globbed it on, then was sure to buff in the direction of the grain.For a more durable finish, rub with 0000 grade steel wool and apply another coat. Some people even like to apply four coats, if the floor is particularly heavily used or subject to water, such as a kitchen or entranceway.

BRIWAX - Briwax International, Inc Material Safety Data Sheet BRIWAX - Briwax International, Inc

For the first coat use Briwax Danish Oil neat, or thinned slightly with about 10% mineral turpentine. Apply plenty of oil with a brush, cloth, or a foam roller, to make sure the wood takes up all the oil it needs. Wipe off the excess with a cloth as you go. This way you make sure there's enough oil in the timber, but you don't run the risk of creating a 'surface’ of Danish Oil on top of the wood. Leave this first coat to dry overnight.

Of course it depends on where it is used, but in general, if you cannot get a shine with a soft buffing, it is time to re-apply. In high traffic areas this can be as often as every few months. In vertical applications and low traffic areas Briwax will last for years. Note: Briwax does not contain UV inhibitors so direct sunlight will cause it to fade. Briwax is not an exterior product for this reason. Now apply the colour. Use disposable rubber gloves when handling the Briwax Spirit-based dye, as it won't come off easily! Antique Mahogany is a favourite for Kwila furniture. Light Oak is an alternative if you like a lighter colour, but any colour will work. It's easiest to pour the dye into a shallow dish, and apply it with a cloth. The dye will be dry within 20-30 minutes. The kitchen cabinets were in pretty good shape. They were generally free of dings, but some did have a few scratches. The bigger issue was that they were dull and dirty, and the finish had been worn down or even off in some places (like where they were grabbed to be pulled open). I also wasn’t in love with the orangey tone of them. So, enter Briwax. If you want your floor to have a gloss finish, apply Danish Oil for the first coat as described above, then use Teak Oil for the second and subsequent coats. The first coat of Danish Oil 'grips' the wood slightly better.