How to polish a wooden statue?

arun11australia

Hi

we bought this wooden carved statue but underneath it doesn’t look like it’s Polished or processed.

what is the best way to paint or polish this underneath and also would like to polish the whole statue as well. 

could you please send me links to a appropriate product and advise?

thank you 🙏🏼 

  

MitchellMc

Hi @arun11australia,

Quite often, the underside of carved wooden pieces isn’t finished, simply because it’s not visible and doesn’t need the same level of polish as the rest of the piece. If you’d like to tidy it up, you can sand the area with some 240-grit sandpaper to expose fresh timber and then apply a clear finish such as Cabot’s Cabothane Clear to seal and give it a polished look.

As for the rest of the statue, it appears to already have a matte finish. If you’d just like to freshen it up and add a little more sheen, you could use a furniture polish like Mr Sheen, applying it with a soft cloth and buffing afterwards. If you’re after a higher gloss look, you could consider recoating with a gloss polyurethane, such as Cabot’s Cabothane Clear Gloss. The only caution here is compatibility with whatever finish is already on the statue. A good way to test this is to apply the gloss to a small inconspicuous section, allow it to cure fully (48–72 hours), then press some sticky tape firmly onto the test patch and pull it off. If the coating lifts, it’s not compatible, but if it stays intact, you can go ahead with the full piece. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell