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Liming means opening the pores of an open-grained wood — oak, ash — with a brass brush, lodging the white Wax Liming in them, wiping the surface back along the grain so the white stays only in the hollows, then protecting with a coat of Wax Clear. A ground can come first: Water Stain White for a very pale oak, or a dark stain for a strong contrast. Like all Mylands waxes, Wax Liming goes on sparingly, is buffed along the grain, is renewed once or twice a year — and does not go on a floor.
Page updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France woodcare specialists
The principle
Liming is not painted on; it is lodged. The white of Wax Liming goes into the open pores of the wood and stays there when the surface is wiped: the grain becomes a white drawing on a ground of wood. That is why the effect only works on open-pored woods — oak above all, ash too. On close-grained beech, maple or pine, there is nowhere for the white to lodge: the wax stays on the surface and the piece simply looks clouded.
The result depends on two choices. The ground: bare oak gives a golden limed finish; a water stain White underneath gives a bleached, almost Scandinavian oak; a dark stain underneath gives a very graphic black-and-white contrast. And how much wax is wiped off: the more you wipe, the more the white is confined to the grain. The limed piece is then protected like any waxed piece, with a buffed coat of Wax Clear. For the other waxes and the basic move, see How to wax wooden furniture.
The method
The wood must be bare: any old wax or finish fills the pores. On a piece waxed before, work Wax and Polish Remover in with 0000 steel wool until the cloth stays clean; on a varnished piece, take the wood back to bare (see Removing old wax and varnish). Sand finely along the grain, dust off.
Brush firmly along the grain with a brass or bronze brush: it hollows the soft fibres and leaves the hard ones, which opens the pores and sharpens the figure. Never brush across; the brush would scratch. Vacuum and go over with a tack cloth.
For a bleached oak: Water Stain White, which raises the grain slightly — wet, let dry, de-nib first. For a contrast: a dark Light Fast Stain, Dark Oak or Black, dry in 10 to 15 minutes. A stain does not protect; here, the wax will.
Pick up a little wax on 0000 steel wool or a cloth and push it into the pores in small circles and then across the grain, to fill the hollows. Sparingly: the surplus will be wiped off.
With a clean cotton cloth, wipe the surface along the grain: the white leaves the flats and stays in the pores. Judge the wiping by the effect you want, then let the matt haze appear.
Buff with a cloth or the horsehair brush along the grain. After 10 minutes, apply a thin coat of Wax Clear, let it haze, buff: it fixes the liming and gives the lustre. After that, re-wax once or twice a year.
Four pieces
01
The classic: a brushed oak dresser, limed with Wax Liming and no ground, protected with Wax Clear. The oak keeps its honey colour, the grain draws itself in white, the mouldings hold a little more wax and stand out. A country piece lightened without being painted.
02
Ash, with its very open pores, limed over a ground of Water Stain White: the wood is bleached first, the grain fills with white next, and the top turns almost ivory with a figure lighter still. The grain raised by the water stain is de-nibbed before the wax.
03
On oak panelling, liming lightens a dark room without painting it: brushing panel by panel, Wax Liming, wiping back, Wax Clear. The relief of the frames holds the white and draws the wall. For the other treatments of panelling, see Beams and panelling.
04
The contrast: an oak mirror frame stained Light Fast Stain Dark Oak, dry in 10 to 15 minutes, then limed with Wax Liming. White grain on a brown-black ground makes an engraving. Two coats of stain for a full ground, and careful wiping so the white stays only in the pores.
The ground
The liming wax is the same in every case. What changes the effect is what lies beneath — and the wood, which must be open-pored.
| Ground | Product | On | The look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bare wood | None: brushing only | Oak, ash | White grain on honey wood, the classic limed finish |
| Bleached oak | Water Stain White, de-nibbed after drying | Oak, ash | Pale wood and whiter grain still; the Scandinavian look |
| Bleached without raising the grain | Light Fast Stain White, dry in 10 to 15 minutes | Oak, ash | Same effect, no de-nibbing; spirit base |
| Contrast | Light Fast Stain Dark Oak or Black | Oak, ash | White grain on a dark ground, graphic |
In every case: Wax Liming, wiping back along the grain, then Wax Clear. Waxes do not go on a floor; an oak floor is lacquered with Mylac.
To avoid
Frequently asked
Not really: liming needs open pores to hold the white, and these woods have none. On pine, the white wax stays on the surface and clouds the wood instead of drawing the grain. To lighten pine, a Water Stain White under Wax Clear gives a cleaner result.
No. On brushed bare oak, Wax Liming alone gives the classic limed finish, white grain on honey wood. A stain underneath serves to bleach the ground (Water Stain White or Light Fast Stain White) or to darken it for a contrast (Light Fast Stain Dark Oak, Black). Test on the back of a cupboard door.
Like a waxed piece: a thin coat of Wax Clear buffed along the grain after the liming, then re-waxing once or twice a year. Dry dusting, no aerosol polish, no wet cloth, and spills wiped up at once.
Not with a wax: Mylands does not recommend waxes on floors, where they slip and clog. An oak floor you want pale is sanded and then takes a Hard Wax Oil Crushed Marble or a Mylac; see How to oil a wooden floor.
While the wax is fresh, a clean cloth takes more of it off. Once buffed and protected, it comes off with Wax and Polish Remover and 0000 steel wool, which lifts the wax without attacking the wood, and you start again after brushing.
See also
“Liming does not whiten the wood: it lights up its drawing.”
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