Wax on, Wax off. WTF???

[eclipsme]

I have just completed casting some concrete counter tops for the first time. The final step is to wax them.

So, Minwax paste wax, a rag, and elbow grease. Right? How hard can this be? The Minwax is maybe 8-12 months old.

The wax will not polish out. I have streaks left from the applicator. I have tried putting it on thin. I have tried a bit thicker. I have waited till the wax was dry to the touch. I have polished while it was still tacky.

Have I never been able to wax properly and only now has it become an issue? Is it really this complicated?

How about some pointers. Really, any help would be appreciated here. The best I have been able to do is buffing while the wax is still tacky, but it is not an ideal finish. I also had some luck wiping with a rag just dampened with mineral spirits, then buffing. Again, not perfect, and at the start I used to much spirits and took the wax off entirely in a spot.

Here is the process: Cast the concrete. Break it out of the mold. Let it cure. Grind the surface smooth to 1000 grit. Seal the concrete. Wax.

Thanks, Harvey

[CW]

[eclipsme]

It was poured 3 weeks ago. so I would think it is pretty well cured. Anyway, what about this could cause my problem?

Thanks, Harvey

CW wrote:

[Jody]

When I did mine, I used the wax from Cheng. I also used his pigments. They turned out great. I have rewaxed them once. They were done over a year ago.

[eclipsme]

What kind of wax did you use? I think maybe I need a better quality wax. I used Cheng's new proformula - includes the pigment, admixture, water reducer, etc. That worked great. I have a can of Minwax paste wax, but like I said, I can't get a smooth coat.

Harvey

[inetquestion]

I used regular car wax and an orbital buffer on my concrete counters with no problem. I assume you did this after sealing them...right? worst case you may need to remove the sealer and redo that part then redo the wax with a different type. you may want to try a buffer that can actually produce a little heat due to speed to help with some of the marks you mentioned. below are some pictures from my project if that will help you out any...

[eclipsme]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. You pored in place - I made molds and poured upside down. What additives did you use? I went with Cheng's profomula, as it was easiest. The mix turned out real viscous, I think because of the water reducer he uses. Anyway, I am glad I did them this way, as I am not at all sure I would have been able to smooth the top surface out as you did. Different than any other concrete I had used!

Harvey

[inetquestion]

The only thing I bought from cheng was some fiber to addin... I was going to use his coloring, but it was too expensive. Home depot had it for $5 per bottle however I ended up using twice as many bottles as I had intended.

At first I was trying to measure everything like a science lab but the amount of water the cc called for just wasn't enough. The guys i had mixing it in the garage just sprayed until it was pretty wet. Probably not the best method, but it ended up working out with no problems. Besides I'm not planning to park cars on it. :)

-Inet

[inetquestion]

At first I was very careful about doing exactly what the instructions said, but over time I found working with concrete to be very forgiving. This was the first project I ever attempted and it all turned out far better than I had hoped. However my tolerance for messes is probably higher than most peoples. :)

-Inet

[eclipsme]

Yes, my first time as well. About a month before the pour, I had the fortune to be in the Bay Area and stopped by their offices. Though an appointment was required, and we didn't have one, I raised them buy cell phone and someone came out and talked with us. Many of the items pictured in the book were on display. Amazingly, many of these early items had cracks, mostly in places like between a valve opening and the back - thin places.

Anyway, it seemed best not to reinvent the wheel, and to trust their experience. Yes, not cheap, but I didn't want to do it twice! Besides, I wasn't attracted to HD colors.

Anyway, well done! Enjoy.

Harvey