Leporati Workshop Wax for Timber Furniture, 150g

Made in North Fitzroy by FNESTRA, Leporati Workshop Wax is a traditional paste wax for raw and finished timber. It is poured by hand from Victorian beeswax, T1 carnauba and microcrystalline wax. Worked into the grain and buffed, it leaves a satin lustre and a surface that feels smooth and warm under your hand, with a thin protective layer between the timber and everyday use. The more you buff, the brighter the shine.

What is in it?

Beeswax is soft and easy to work, and gives timber its warm glow. Carnauba, from the leaves of a Brazilian palm, is one of the hardest natural waxes, and T1 is its highest grade, so it adds resistance to fingermarks and wear. Microcrystalline wax is a refined, stable wax that conservators use on museum objects. The blend also contains isoparaffin, a refined low odour solvent that softens the wax so it spreads thinly before evaporating, along with orange oil and linseed oil. It contains no silicone.

Why use it?

Wax sits on the surface rather than soaking in, so it takes the wear from hands, cups and dusters before the finish or the timber does. When it wears thin, a fresh coat puts it back. On bare timber it brings up a soft lustre and leaves the surface feeling natural rather than coated. On an existing finish it fills fine scratches, evens out dull patches and adds some resistance to water and fingermarks. It is not a hard finish, so mats and coasters are still worth using.

What is it for?

Indoor timber furniture, raw or finished: sideboards, cabinets, chairs, tables, shelving, and turned or carved detail. It suits teak, oak, walnut, blackwood and most other furniture timbers, and it can be used over oil, hard wax oil, shellac, lacquer and existing wax finishes. A little on drawer runners also helps timber slide on timber.

How to use it

1. Dust and clean the surface, then let it dry.
2. Take up a small amount of wax on a lint free cotton cloth, or on fine 0000 steel wool for bare timber or an old finish that needs a light cut back.
3. Work it in along the grain in a thin, even coat.
4. Leave it for 10 to 15 minutes to set. Left much longer, the wax firms up further and takes more buffing to warm it and spread it evenly.
5. Buff along the grain with a clean, soft cotton cloth until the surface feels smooth rather than tacky. For more depth, add a second thin coat the next day.

Use a cloth rather than steel wool on gloss finishes, which steel wool will dull, and on oak, where fragments of steel react with the tannin in the timber and can leave small black marks.

How often

Once or twice a year for a sideboard or cabinet, and every three or four months for a coffee table, desk or chair arms in daily use. Between coats, Leporati Reviver keeps the surface clean, cuts back a little of the old wax and brings the sheen back.

Storage and safety

Keep the lid closed when it is not in use, and store it somewhere cool, as wax softens in the heat. The wax can irritate skin, so wear gloves if your skin is sensitive, and keep it out of reach of children and pets.

Why we stock Leporati

We use Leporati on our own restorations. It is made by people who restore furniture themselves, which is exactly what we want our customers using at home.

For the full method, read our guide to using Leporati Workshop Wax.

Details

Size: 150 g
Maker: FNESTRA, North Fitzroy, Victoria
Ingredients: beeswax, carnauba and microcrystalline wax, isoparaffin, orange oil, linseed oil
Silicone free
Suitable for: raw and finished timber furniture, indoors
Apply with: lint free cotton cloth or fine 0000 steel wool
Finish: satin lustre, buffs to a brighter shine

Not sure what finish your furniture has? Message us a photo and we will let you know.