Most of the oiled timber pieces that leave our studio in Torquay have been finished with Oli Natura. We used their oils and waxes for years before we were asked to become an official Oli Natura ambassador, and the reason is simple. The results hold up, the finish can be repaired rather than stripped and, most importantly, the products are safe for us to work with when we restore furniture, and safe for our home, our family, our children and our pets.
This guide covers how to look after a piece finished in Oli Natura at home, using the wood soap and the wood care wax, and which of the two Oli Natura care sets suits your furniture. Further down, we explain why we finish with Oli Natura hard wax oil and project oil in the first place, and where to buy the range.
Wood care wax and wood soap: everything an oiled piece needs between restorations.
First, check what finish you have
Wood soap and wood care wax are made for oiled and hard wax oiled timber. They are not for lacquered furniture, where the finish is a film sitting on top of the timber and nothing can soak in.
The quickest check is a single drop of water on a hidden horizontal surface. Leave it for two minutes. If it darkens the timber slightly and the mark fades as it dries, the piece is oiled and this guide applies. If it sits as a tight bead and wipes away leaving nothing behind, it is almost certainly lacquered. If you bought the piece from us, ask, and we will tell you exactly what it was finished with.
Which care set do I need?
Oli Natura packs its home care products into two boxed sets, and the difference is the second product in the box. Both sets include 250 ml of wood soap, a polishing pad, an oil absorbent cloth, disposable gloves and a care leaflet.
- Care Set No. 1 adds 250 ml of wood care oil. It is for furniture finished with oil alone, such as teak oil, Danish oil or linseed oil, and keeps the open, natural look of an oiled surface.
- Care Set No. 2 adds 250 ml of wood care wax. It is for furniture finished with hard wax oil, and it also suits oiled timber.
For a piece restored in our studio, Care Set No. 2 is the one to buy, since we finish tops and broad surfaces in hard wax oil. If you are not sure what finish you have, Care Set No. 2 is also the safer choice. When a set runs low, the wood soap is sold on its own in 1 litre bottles and the wood care wax in 250 ml tins.
Everyday cleaning with Oli Natura wood soap
Oli Natura wood soap is a concentrate made specifically for cleaning oiled and waxed timber. General household sprays and dishwashing liquid are built to cut grease, and on an oiled surface the grease they cut is the finish itself. Used regularly, they leave the timber dry, pale and more likely to mark. Wood soap cleans without stripping the oil, which is the whole point of using it. We stock Oli Natura wood soap in 1 litre bottles, and a 250 ml bottle comes in both care sets.
How to use it
- Dilute it. Add wood soap to a bucket or bowl of warm water at the ratio printed on the bottle. It is a concentrate, so use it sparingly.
- Wring the cloth out hard. Use a soft cotton cloth that is damp, not wet. Oiled timber should never be left with standing water on it.
- Wipe along the grain. Work in long strokes in the direction the grain runs, paying attention to the places hands, plates and elbows go.
- Let it dry. Leave the surface to air dry, or follow with a dry cloth on a dining table you need to use straight away.
How often
A dining table or desk in daily use is well served by wood soap once a week, with a dry cloth for crumbs and dust in between. A sideboard, credenza or bedside table that is mostly looked at rather than used needs it far less, every few weeks is plenty. Spills should be blotted up straight away regardless of the routine.
Refreshing the finish with Oli Natura wood care wax
Over time, the surface of oiled timber wears in the places it is used most. The end of a dining table where someone always sits, the top of a desk under a forearm, the front edge of a sideboard. Those areas start to look a little drier and duller than the rest, and water stops beading on them the way it does on the sides.
Oli Natura wood care wax is made to put that protection back. It is designed for timber finished in hard wax oil, and it refreshes the surface without needing to sand or re-oil the whole piece. We stock Oli Natura wood care wax in 250 ml tins, enough to refresh a dining table six to twelve times.
How to use it
- Start clean. Clean the surface with wood soap first and let it dry completely.
- Apply thinly. Shake the tin, then apply a small amount with a lint-free cotton cloth, working along the grain. A little goes a long way.
- Let it dry. Allow one to two hours in normal conditions, then lightly polish with a clean, soft cloth.
- Go gently for a few days. The wax takes two to three days to fully cure. Use coasters and avoid wet cloths on the surface until then.
How often
For most pieces, once or twice a year is enough. A dining table in a busy household might want it every few months. We wax our own furniture at the start of each season, roughly every three months, because it is easy to remember and keeps our vintage pieces in excellent condition.
Dispose of cloths safely
Cloths, pads and brushes used with oils and waxes can generate heat as they cure and can ignite on their own. This applies to every oil finish, not only Oli Natura. After use, lay cloths flat outdoors to dry fully before binning them, or store them under water in a sealed metal container. Never leave them screwed up in a bin or a pile.
Why we finish with Oli Natura hard wax oil
Hard wax oil is a combination of oils and waxes in one product. The oil penetrates the timber and the wax gives the surface its resistance to water and dirt. On a restored teak, oak, walnut or blackwood piece, it gives a natural, low sheen finish that feels like timber rather than plastic.
Many restored pieces are refinished in polyurethane or a sprayed lacquer, because these finishes dry quickly and get furniture back on the shop floor sooner. They have drawbacks worth knowing. Many lacquers yellow with age and sunlight, and because they form a film on top of the timber, a scratch or worn patch usually means stripping the whole surface rather than repairing one spot. Solvent based finishes also give off fumes while they cure, which can irritate sensitive airways, so it is worth asking what a piece was finished with and when.
We choose trade quality finishes
We use trade quality finishes on every piece we restore, even when they cost more and take longer to apply. Part of that is the result on the timber. The bigger part is who lives with it. We work with these finishes every day in the studio, and the furniture we restore ends up in homes with children, dogs and cats, so what goes into a finish matters to us as much as how it looks. Oli Natura's oils and waxes are VOC free and based on plant oils and waxes, and they can be repaired in spots rather than stripped, which is why they are the finishes on our bench.
It can be repaired
This is the reason we chose it. A lacquer or polyurethane finish is a film. Once it scratches, chips or wears through, the only proper fix is to strip the whole surface and start again. Hard wax oil sits in the timber rather than on it, so a worn patch or a mark can be cleaned, lightly sanded and re-oiled locally, and it blends back in. For furniture that has already lasted sixty years and should last sixty more, that matters.
It is made with households in mind
Oli Natura is made in Germany by Oli Lacke GmbH, and the hard wax oil is VOC free. According to the technical data sheet, it also:
- is free of aromatics, formaldehyde, biocides, preservatives, cobalt and oximes
- is tested to the European toy safety standard EN 71-3 and to DIN 53160 for resistance to saliva and sweat
- is certified as a low emission product for interiors
- carries the ECARF seal for allergy friendly products
In practice, that means a finished, fully cured surface we are happy to see a toddler lean on, a dog sleep beside, or a family eat at every night. Allow two to three days for full curing after a fresh coat, which is why there is often a short wait between a piece being finished and leaving the studio.
It is efficient
On furniture, two or three thin coats of hard wax oil are often enough, with more only where a surface takes heavy wear. That means less product on the piece, less handling, and a finish that keeps the grain and colour of the timber in view.
Why we use Oli Natura project oil
Project oil is a deep penetrating, linseed based oil for interior timber. Where hard wax oil is our choice for finishing tops and broad surfaces, project oil is for toning and adding depth.
It brings out the figure in the grain, it protects the timber from within rather than forming a coating, and it is available tinted as well as clear. A tinted oil is useful when a repaired or replaced part needs to sit comfortably beside timber that has had six decades to change colour. It stays workable for around twenty minutes, so excess can be wiped off cleanly, and it is fully cured in two to five days.
The rest of the range on our bench
For surfaces that will take the hardest wear, Oli Natura HS professional oil is a high solid oil with close to one hundred per cent solids content, rated for stairs and parquet floors. It shares the same exclusions as the hard wax oil, free of aromatics, formaldehyde, biocides, cobalt and oximes, and the same EN 71-3 testing. Whichever oil a piece has been finished with in our studio, the care routine at home stays the same: wood soap for cleaning and wood care wax to refresh, which is exactly what Care Set No. 2 contains.
We are now an official Oli Natura ambassador
We used Oli Natura for years before the relationship became official, and the range we use in the studio is the range we recommend. If you have bought a piece from us, these are the products to keep it looking the way it did on the day it came home.
We stock the Oli Natura care range in our own store: Care Set No. 1 and Care Set No. 2 to start, then wood soap in 1 litre bottles and wood care wax in 250 ml tins as refills.
The finishing oils, including the hard wax oil and the project oil, are sold by Superior Timber Coatings, the Australian importer of Oli Natura.
Use the code FOXNWEDGE10 at the Superior Timber Coatings checkout for 10% off the finishing oils.
A note on our relationship with Oli Natura. Fox & Wedge is an official Oli Natura ambassador. We are not paid by Oli Natura, and we are not paid to endorse its products. We have used Oli Natura on our restorations for many years, long before the partnership began, and we recommend it because it is what we trust on our own work. In return for being an ambassador, we buy our stock at a discounted trade price. The care products in our store are sold at Oli Natura's recommended retail price.
Common questions
Should I use Oli Natura wood soap on a lacquered piece?
It is made for oiled and waxed timber, and that is where it does its job. A lacquered surface needs nothing more than a barely damp cloth.
Can I use Care Set No. 1 on hard wax oiled furniture?
It is made for timber finished with oil alone. For hard wax oiled furniture, including pieces restored in our studio, choose Care Set No. 2.
Can I use the wood care wax on furniture finished with a different oil?
It is designed for hard wax oiled surfaces, and that is where we use it. On a surface finished with an unknown oil, or on anything painted or UV cured, test a small hidden area first.
Is hard wax oil safe around children and pets?
Oli Natura hard wax oil is VOC free, and once fully cured it is tested to the European toy safety standard EN 71-3 and for resistance to saliva and sweat.
How do I know when my table needs attention?
Run the water test on the area that gets used most. If water still beads, keep cleaning with wood soap. If it soaks in and darkens the timber, refresh that area with wood care wax.
What if the finish is badly worn, marked or ringed?
White rings and light wear can usually be handled at home. Dark rings, deep scratches and bare patches are a studio job. Because the finish is hard wax oil, a local repair is often possible without refinishing the whole piece. See our restoration service or get in touch with photographs.
A Plycraft armchair, restored in our studio.
