Understanding Furniture Polishes

There are probably more myths surrounding furniture polishes than any other single aspect of wood finishing. What makes this topic confusing are the often-silly claims of manufacturers. They range from half-truths, such as “furniture polish preserves the finish,” to outright absurdities, such as “furniture polish replaces the natural oils in wood.”

The success of the furniture polish industry in convincing millions of consumers that there’s oil in wood that needs replacing with a petroleum-distillate product through a finish that’s there to keep liquids out of the wood has to rank among the great scams of American marketing.