Restoring Sun-Faded Wood
Restoring Sun-Faded Wood
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I use beeswax polish to restore my sun-faded piece of furniture?
Our rose gold and antique gold beeswax polishes can be very successful at helping to restore tired and faded antique finishes. Because our pure gold polish is clear and colourless, it will not be effective at reviving sun-bleached wood finishes.
This is the key point: how successful polishing is will very much depend on how dry and absorbent the finish is that it is being applied to.Period antiques that still retain their original French polish or waxed finish, but have suffered years of UV bleaching, will in most cases respond well when a coloured wax polish such as rose gold or antique gold is applied to them.
You will see how effective it will be almost as soon as it is applied. Faded, sun-bleached dry surfaces will quickly draw the colour from our polish, which will not only help restore colour and revive the old finish but in many cases go further and colour the wood itself beneath.
Apply the polish following the grain, then wait 20 minutes before buffing. You must allow the wax to dry before buffing. The surface will appear dull and flat — this is where the wax cells are pointing at different angles and feel slightly rough to the touch. When you buff the newly waxed surface, you are polishing and smoothing all those wax cells flat to the surface, creating a reflective smooth layer that allows the light in and lets you see the beautiful wood beneath.
Where it will not work: if your sun-faded finish has a lacquer or hard coating that still remains in good order, the beeswax polish will not be able to penetrate through to the faded wood surface. Your only option in this case is to strip and refinish the entire piece. If you want it to match the original finish, taking it to a professional French Polisher is highly recommended.
If you would like to try refinishing yourself, the videos below demonstrate how to create a simple, natural but very durable finish from scratch.
If your sun-faded finish looks like this…
It is very unlikely that applying a coloured beeswax polish will remedy such high-contrast sun fading. The finish is still in good order, which will also prevent the colour from the polish transferring to the surface. The only answer in such cases is stripping and refinishing.
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How do I prevent sun fading or bleaching of my furniture?
The best prevention is placing your furniture away from direct sunlight, or if that is not possible, covering it with a sheet when the sun's UV light is at its strongest.
Regular applications of a coloured beeswax polish such as our rose or antique gold will help prevent this damage but will not stop it from happening entirely.
We have now added a UV absorber to all our beeswax polishes. This has been scientifically proven to significantly lessen the harmful effects of UV radiation from direct sunlight on wooden surfaces, absorbing more of the damaging rays before they can affect the wood or its finish. It does not block all UV rays entirely, but it acts as a crucial additional barrier, helping to reduce discolouration and extend the life of your furniture.If moving the furniture is not possible, try rotating its position periodically. Many cases of severe sun damage to grand pianos could have been prevented simply by rotating them occasionally.
I cannot tell you how often to apply Gilboys polish to furniture in direct sunlight, as there are too many variables. For furniture with a vertical face in prolonged direct sunlight, once every three or four months during the lighter periods of the year is a reasonable guide.
If your furniture has a very high-gloss polyurethane or polyester finish — the kind you would expect on the dashboard of a luxury car or yacht — do not use our polish. This type of finish will not respond well to a high natural wax content polish.
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How do I repair or restore sun-bleached or faded furniture?
The key point: how successful it is will very much depend on how dry and absorbent the finish is that it is being applied to.Period antiques that still retain their original French polish or waxed finish, but have suffered years of UV bleaching, will in most cases respond well when a coloured wax polish such as rose gold or antique gold is applied.
You will see how effective it will be almost as soon as it is applied. Faded, sun-bleached dry surfaces will quickly draw the colour from our polish, which will not only help colour and revive the old finish but in many cases go further and colour the wood itself beneath.
You must allow the wax to dry before buffing. The surface will appear dull and flat, where the wax cells are pointing at different angles and feel slightly rough to the touch. When you buff the newly waxed surface, you are polishing and smoothing all those wax cells flat to the surface, creating a reflective smooth layer that allows the light in and reveals the wood beneath.
Remember to apply the polish following the grain, and wait 20 minutes before buffing.
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Will repeated applications of coloured beeswax polish return the colour to my sun-faded furniture?
If you do not see an immediate change in the finish, do not start over-applying the polish. In this situation, although the wood surface may be bleached, the finish that protects it is still doing its job. The wax is unable to penetrate past the hard, intact surface layer, which also means it is unable to transfer much colour from the wax to the surface. You may still see a slight change in colour, but it will be limited.
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Will repeated applications of a coloured beeswax polish work better at returning the colour?
Repeated applications over a long period may help. It will certainly go some way to preventing further damage, but it is unlikely to be as transformative as you might hope. If this is the case then stripping and refinishing the piece is the only real option. Until you try, there is no way of knowing — and you will not have wasted your money because you still have a very good wax polish to use on your furniture.
Situations where our polish is unlikely to be effective at treating sun bleaching include:
- Kitchen cupboard doors
- High-shine lacquered surfaces such as some dining tables
- Furniture that has been previously refinished
- Kitchen work surfaces
It really works best on tired antique finishes. If your sun-faded furniture looks like this…
It is very unlikely that applying any coloured beeswax polish will remedy such high-contrast sun fading. The finish is still in good order, which will prevent the colour transferring from the polish. Stripping and refinishing is the only answer.
Simon Gilboy
Simon's career began in furniture restoration in 1987. Leaving school at 16 and signing on as an apprentice French Polisher at Staverton joinery, he has accumulated over 30 years experience in the restoration of fine and antique furniture. In 1994 Simon opened the doors on the first Gilboy’s workshop at the Riverside in Staverton with financial and mentoring help from The Prince’s Trust.
In 2015 after years of searching for a beeswax furniture polish that would befit the fine furniture Gilboys were restoring, Simon developed his own beeswax polish using only the very best of responsibly-sourced ingredients. Simon says, "My intention was not to compete with anyone on price, but to simply make the best beeswax polish it was possible to make"
You can usually find Simon in the Gilboys workshops filming instructional how-to videos for the Gilboys YouTube channel, on help forums, or actively finding new ways to preserve the past for the future.