About 95% of the polishes that you can buy at your local grocery store or Walmart have one of two base ingredients on which the product is based: silicone or wax. What's wrong with silicone and wax? To understand this point we must examine wood a lot more closely and then think about these products and where they are used.
WOOD: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Wood is basically nature densely packing fibers in a specific alignment. The wood's grain is the alignment or direction of these fibers. Different species of wood have different 'grains' In fact, much of species identification with wood is color and grain. Some woods are more densely packed than others. For example, maple is very dense and therefore
has much less 'open grain' than say oak or mahogany. These species are also very dense but more of these 'natural imperfections' show through in the way of grain. If we were to view this grain through a microscope it would look like the grand canyon compared to the realtively flat surface. These 'canyons' attract all sorts of contaminants. When we prepare a piano for a new finish we try to minimize the grain 'gaps' with a variety of prep techniques. However, it is impossible to remove everything when it is deeply imbedded in the grain. Your furniture polish is designed to fill these gaps to provide a smoother looking surface.SILICONE is used to seal the minuscule gaps after a window has been installed. It is also heavily used in bathrooms as a sealant. In short, silicone is known for it's waterproof properties. So why does this make a bad polish? Truthfully, as silicone is being sprayed on your piano or fine furniture, it looks really great. It reseals the wood and doesn't have much of a build up like wax does (more on that in a minute). However, this is a refinisher's nightmare! The silicone seals the wood by working itself into the grain of the wood and is pretty much stuck there for good. Remember those waterproof qualities? These properties also apply to solvents and oils. Pretty much nothing will go over silicon. So when the refinisher goes to apply a new finish, any part of the wood - especially the grain where that silicone settled, will not accept new finish. It has an effect that we call "fish-eye" as the paint will recede from the silicone and expose the wood in that particular spot. This results in a much heavier finish around the spot and the result is something similar to snakeskin cowboy boots. Here is the latest example that prompted this post...
WAX is a little easier to imagine since it is a product that most of us use regularly on our vehicles. Imagine a newly waxed car in a rainstorm. What happens to the water? It no longer slides off the paint in a nice even sheet. Rather, it beads up and rolls off. This is the same effect that happens when I start attempting to spray new finish on that waxy piano. The same result as described above is inevitable - fish-eye syndrome. So this is the part where you, the consumer, asks, "But don't you strip all the old finish off, wipe it clean, sand it, and any other preparations necessary?" The answer is, yes. However, I do not have a microscopic sander that can get into the grain of the wood. Another issue that wax brings is build-up. If this product is used time and time again, it will begin to show a grayish residue on some parts like the bench top, sides and music desk. Waxing your furniture is much different than your car because your car is exposed to weather, dirt and sun, which eventually wear away this coating of wax making it necessary for a reapplication. Your furniture doesn't get any of this unless you take your piano out for regular Sunday drives! Therefore the wax sticks, stays and builds.
A WORD ON OILS
Lemon Oil is a popular choice and would have been fine 50 years ago but it just isn't compatible with modern lacquers. It isn't necessarily harmful but it doesn't do any good as it just smears over the top and looks blochy at best when you are finished. Plus, after the finish has aged a bit and been helped along with the occasional nick, ding, or scratch, the oil can actually begin to be harmful. As the damaged wood is polished, the oil is deposited in the scratch or ding and then continues to seep into the wood underneath the finish. In a worst case scenario this can actually lift the finish leading to exponential damage.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Don't buy furniture polish from a grocery store! Unfortunately, polish is not like food - the manufacturer doesn't have to tell you what he is making it out of. But just a few helpful hints. Pledge is wax, ArmorAll is silicone. Anything that resembles these will NOT work. My top recommendation for fine furniture care is Cory Piano Polish. Cory Piano Polish is available through my company or over the internet at a variety of web sites. They make several different types of polish that correspond to the type of finish of your piano or furniture. Here is a step by step of how to polish:
1. Whenever possible, simply use a soft cloth to dust the finish.
2. When polishing is necessary beyond dusting, choose the correct polish for the application.
3. Lightly mist the surface with the polish - you don't need nearly as much as you think you do. A very little goes a long way.
4. DO NOT SCRUB! Very gently wipe the stain evenly across the surface taking care to polish with the grain.
5. Turn rag frequently so that the same gunk that you are polishing off is not redeposited.
6. Enjoy!
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