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Help with woodcare Repair and upkeep
You cannot strip a finish you have not recognised: wax, shellac and varnish each come off with their own move. Wax lifts with Wax and Polish Remover and 0000 steel wool, until the cloth comes away clean. Shellac dissolves in alcohol. Varnish or lacquer is sanded off, grit by grit, to 180 under an oil; the range has no chemical stripper and sanding is the route. An old floor, once sanded, then takes Shellac Barrier Seal for Floors, which locks the remains of oil or wax away under the Mylac.
Page updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France woodcare specialists
Why remove it
Hard wax oil laid over a trace of wax does not penetrate; a water-based varnish laid over wax pulls back into beads; fresh wax over grimy wax polishes the grime. The rule is simple: a new finish needs bare wood, or a sound, clean, compatible finish. Before any tin is opened you need to know what is on the wood, and take it off if necessary.
It is not always necessary. A sound varnish that is not flaking can be revived with Furniture Cleaner and Reviver and recoated after a de-nib; a waxed piece can be cleaned and re-waxed. The old finish comes off when it is damaged, incompatible with the new one — oil over wax, lacquer over oil — or when you want to change the colour. The preparation guide helps you recognise what is in front of you.
The method
Allow half a day for a piece of furniture, with gloves and a window open. Steps two to four are alternatives: only one applies to your finish.
On a hidden area: a cloth that comes away with a greasy haze means wax; a cotton pad dampened with alcohol that softens the surface, shellac; a hard surface that nothing marks, varnish or lacquer; a drop of water that beads on matt wood, an oil.
Soak the pad, work in small areas along the grain, and wipe at once with a clean cloth before the dissolved wax dries. Repeat until the cloth comes away clean. Wax and Polish Remover does not affect most hard finishes underneath.
Shellac dissolves in methylated spirit. A cloth or 0000 steel wool dampened with it, in small areas, wiped at once; the film softens and comes away in layers. Ventilate, no naked flame.
The range has no chemical stripper: you sand. 80 grit to break through the film, then 120, 150 and 180, always along the grain, changing the abrasive as soon as it clogs. On a floor, stop at 120–150; under an oil or hard wax oil, never beyond 180.
An old waxed or oiled floor keeps residue in its pores. After sanding and dusting off, a coat of quick-drying Shellac Barrier Seal for Floors isolates that contamination under the Mylac and adds depth. See varnishing a wooden floor.
Vacuum then tack cloth; Cellulose Thinners on oily wood or before a stain. The wood is bare: oil, hard wax oil, wax, shellac or varnish, following the guide for that surface.
Four cases
01
An antique pine dresser whose wax has turned a greasy brown. Wax and Polish Remover and 0000 steel wool, area by area, until the cloth comes away clean. The pine comes back pale and matt; all that remains is to re-wax it with Wax Stripped Pine, the standard wax on pine.
02
A dining table whose shellac has gone white and crazed. Methylated spirit dissolves it: a dampened cloth, in areas, wiped at once, in a ventilated workshop. The bare wood, sanded to 180, then takes a new French polish, 2000 Pale Shellac Sealer as a base, then French Polish.
03
An oak top under a yellowed varnish, wanted matt and oiled. No stripper: sand with 80 to break through the film, then 120, 150, 180 along the grain, and dust off. Then two thin coats of Hard Wax Oil Natural 24 hours apart.
04
A pine floor waxed for decades. Machine-sand to 120–150, vacuum, tack cloth, then a coat of Shellac Barrier Seal for Floors that locks away the remains of wax, and 2 to 3 coats of Mylac Satin 3 to 4 hours apart.
The table
| Old finish | How to tell | How to remove it |
|---|---|---|
| Wax | Greasy haze on a cloth, a fingernail leaves a trace, smell of wax | Wax and Polish Remover and 0000 steel wool, until the cloth comes away clean |
| Shellac (French polish) | Softens under a cotton pad dampened with alcohol; blooms white with water and heat | Methylated spirit on a cloth, in areas, wiped at once |
| Varnish, lacquer | Hard, smooth film, unmoved by alcohol; flakes in patches when tired | Sanding 80-120-150-180 along the grain; no chemical stripper in the range |
| Oil, hard wax oil | Matt surface, water beads; you can feel the wood | If changing finish: sanding to 180; otherwise, a clean and a refresh coat |
| Old floor, any finish | Residue in the pores after sanding, patches that stay greasy | Sanding to 120–150, then Shellac Barrier Seal for Floors under the Mylac |
Painted wood follows another route, described in the preparation guide.
To avoid
Frequently asked
No. Wax and Polish Remover lifts wax, dirt and grime, and alcohol dissolves shellac; a varnish, a lacquer or a hardened oil come off by sanding, grit by grit, from 80 to 180. It takes longer, but the wood comes out clean, dry and ready for any finish.
It does not affect most original hard finishes: it removes the wax and grime built up on top, and also lifts bloom marks from a waxed surface. Test on a hidden area, as always.
It is made for all wooden floors, new and old, under a water-based lacquer: on a new floor it adds depth; on an old re-sanded floor it is essential, to block the remains of oil or wax that would lift the Mylac. It can also be used on its own, as a sealer coat under wax on a low-traffic floor.
Yes, if the varnish is sound and clean: Mylands waxes go onto finished timber as well as bare wood. But the reverse is not true — nothing holds on wax — and wax is not recommended on a floor. See How to wax wooden furniture.
See also
How to prepare your woodwork before painting, for a flawless, long-lasting finish.
“Before choosing what goes on, know what is there: stripping begins with a cloth and a drop of alcohol.”
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