Silicone residue
Left by most furniture polishes, invisible, and present even after a finish has been stripped to bare wood. It is discovered on the day somebody tries to refinish.
In detail
Silicone residue is unusual among the entries in this file because nobody ever sets out to remove it — they discover it. A federal conservation leaflet states that the majority of commercial furniture polishes contain silicone in one form or another, that it is found in almost all liquid and aerosol wax preparations, and that it is added to make application easier and give a higher gloss. What follows is the problem: once applied it can be difficult to remove, and a silicone residue can be present on a piece of furniture EVEN WHEN THE OLD FINISH IS STRIPPED DOWN TO THE BARE WOOD. It has migrated into the timber, and stripping the surface does not take it with it. The contamination is invisible and stays invisible until a new finish is applied, at which point small crater-like indentations called fish eyes appear where the finish will not wet the surface — the same mechanism as water beading on a waxed car, at a smaller scale. Treating it requires specialised equipment and a furniture conservator. The practical response is preventive and it is record-keeping: note that a silicone-containing product has been used.
What works
Cotton swab is effective against Silicone residue Established practitioner practice
Effective on surface waxy residues. Silicone that has migrated into timber is a different problem and the guidance directs a conservator.
Why
- Silicone residue is explained by Water-repellent and water-attracting surfaces
- Silicone residue is explained by Coating thickness
Hacks and claims involving this
- Furniture polish feeds the wood Does not work
Sources for this page
Sources
Conserve O Gram 7/6: Silicone in Furniture Waxes and Polishes
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, 1993 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That most commercial furniture polishes contain silicone, that once applied it can be difficult to remove, that residue can be present even when the finish is stripped to bare wood, that fish eyes appear when a new finish is applied, and that treatment requires specialised equipment and a conservator. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The leaflet in full — it is one page. Supports the claim as stated. Adds a claim record and an agent-level warning about a product class in near-universal domestic use, on a mechanism — irreversible contamination invisible until refinishing — that no consumer source describes.
Last reviewed by a person on .