Walk down the cleaning aisle of any Australian hardware store, and you'll find a wall of polishes, oils, waxes, and sprays — all claiming to be the best thing for your timber furniture. The truth is, the best furniture polish depends entirely on the type of wood surface you're dealing with.

Use the wrong product on the wrong surface, and you can cloud a finish, strip a protective coat, or leave a greasy residue that attracts more dust than it repels. This guide takes the guesswork out of it — matching Howard's trusted Australian wood care range to every common surface type, so you always know exactly what to reach for.

Why Does Wood Type Matter When Choosing a Polish?

Not all wood surfaces are created equal. A lacquered dining table, a raw timber shelf, an oiled hardwood floor, and a painted chest of drawers each have very different needs — and very different reactions to the same product.

The key factors that determine which polish is right for your piece are:

• Whether the surface has a sealed finish (lacquer, varnish, polyurethane) or is raw/unfinished
• The type of finish or treatment already applied — wax, oil, shellac, or paint
• The intended use of the surface — food contact, high traffic, outdoor exposure, or decorative display

Getting this right isn't complicated once you know what to look for. Here's Howard's complete guide to the best furniture polish for every wood type in Australian homes.

Quick Reference: Howard Products by Surface Type

Wood / surface type	Recommended Howard product	Primary benefit	Silicone-free
Varnished / lacquered	Orange Oil	Everyday polish	Yes
Antique / shellac	Feed-N-Wax	Nourish & protect	Yes
Raw / unfinished	Feed-N-Wax	Condition & seal	Yes
Painted / chalk-paint	Citrus Shield	Paste wax finish	Yes
Hardwood floors	Wood-N-Floors	Clean & shine	Yes
Oiled / tung-oil finish	Orange Tung Wood Oil	Replenish oil	Yes
Timber decking	Orange Tung Wood Oil	Protect outdoors	Yes
Butcher block / benchtop	Cutting Board Oil	Food-safe season	Yes

Varnished, Lacquered & Polyurethane Surfaces

Best pick: Howard Orange Oil Wood Polish

Most modern timber furniture — dining tables, sideboards, entertainment units, and kitchen cabinets — comes with a factory-applied varnish, lacquer, or polyurethane coating. These sealed surfaces need a polish that cleans and brightens without penetrating or softening the top coat.

Howard Orange Oil is the ideal everyday polish for sealed timber. Made with real orange oil, it cuts through dust and grime, restores the depth and lustre of the wood grain, and leaves a light protective sheen — without silicone, linseed oil, or harsh solvents that can damage the finish over time.

It's also one of the most pleasant products to use in the home: the natural citrus scent is fresh and clean rather than chemical.

How to use

Apply a small amount of Orange Oil to a soft cloth and wipe with the grain. Buff lightly to finish. Use monthly for best results, or more frequently in high-use areas.

Antique Furniture & Shellac Finishes

Best pick: Howard Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish & Conditioner

Antique pieces, heritage furniture, and older items finished with shellac or spirit-based lacquers require a gentler, more nourishing approach. These finishes are often thinner and more porous than modern polyurethane coatings — meaning they dry out, crack, and fade more readily.

Howard Feed-N-Wax is the benchmark product for antique furniture care. Its unique blend of beeswax, carnauba wax, and pure orange oil deeply conditions the wood while laying down a protective wax barrier that seals out moisture and prevents further drying.

Feed-N-Wax is also the perfect follow-up product after using Restor-A-Finish — once you've repaired blemishes and restored the colour, Feed-N-Wax locks everything in and adds the finishing lustre.

• Conditions and nourishes aged or dry timber
• Adds protective beeswax and carnauba wax layer
• Enhances the depth of grain on both finished and unfinished wood
• Safe for use on antiques — will not dissolve or cloud shellac finishes

Pro tip

For antique pieces with intricate carved detail, apply Feed-N-Wax with a soft paintbrush to work the product into grooves and recesses. Wipe away the excess with a cloth.

Raw, Unfinished & Bare Timber

Best pick: Howard Feed-N-Wax or Orange Tung Wood Oil

Raw timber — whether it's a newly sanded piece, a reclaimed wood shelf, or a rustic bench — has no protective coating at all, making it highly susceptible to moisture, staining, and drying. This type of wood needs a product that absorbs deeply rather than sitting on the surface.

For indoor raw timber, Howard Feed-N-Wax is the go-to conditioner. It soaks into the open grain, nourishes the wood from within, and creates a natural-looking satin finish that doesn't look plastic or over-varnished.

For outdoor raw timber or pieces exposed to the elements, Howard Orange Tung Wood Oil provides a far more durable, water-resistant penetrating finish. It hardens within the wood fibres to create a long-lasting protective coat while enhancing the natural colour and grain.

Good to know

Always clean bare timber with Howard Clean-A-Finish Wood Soap before applying any oil or wax product. Applying over dust, grease, or old residue prevents the product from penetrating evenly.

Painted & Chalk-Paint Furniture

Best pick: Howard Citrus Shield Premium Paste Wax

The popularity of chalk-paint and matte-painted furniture has surged in Australian homes, particularly with the rise of upcycling and vintage-style decorating. However, painted surfaces — especially chalk paint — are highly porous and will mark, chip, and absorb stains without a protective topcoat.

Howard Citrus Shield Premium Natural Paste Wax is the ideal finishing wax for painted furniture. It seals the surface with a thin, hard protective layer of natural waxes, while the citrus-based formula means there are no harsh solvent smells. The result is a beautiful, low-sheen finish that protects painted surfaces without looking plasticky or covering the chalky texture.

• Suitable for chalk paint, milk paint, and standard painted finishes
• Natural paste wax formula with no harsh solvents
• Provides water and UV resistance for painted surfaces
• Can be buffed to a satin or gentle gloss finish

Application tip

Apply Citrus Shield with a lint-free cloth or wax brush in a thin, even coat. Allow to haze (5–10 minutes), then buff with a clean cloth. Two thin coats provide better protection than one thick coat.

Hardwood Timber Floors

Best pick: Howard Wood-N-Floors

Timber floors take far more daily punishment than furniture — foot traffic, pet scratches, dropped items, and spills are a constant reality. Using the wrong product on floors can leave a sticky residue, cause discolouration, or gradually build up into a dull film.

Howard Wood-N-Floors is specifically formulated for sealed hardwood floors, engineered timber floors, laminate flooring, and luxury vinyl planks (LVP). It cleans without leaving any residue or streaks, and reveals the floor's natural shine rather than coating it in wax or oil that can make surfaces slippery.

• Safe on hardwood, engineered, laminate, and LVP floors
• No sticky residue, no wax build-up, no streaking
• Reveals natural shine without making floors slippery
• Removes dust, scuff marks, and traffic film

Butcher Blocks, Timber Benchtops & Cutting Boards

Best pick: Howard Cutting Board Oil & Butcher Block Conditioner

Timber benchtops and cutting boards are a unique category: they need food-safe products that nourish and protect the wood without any risk to the people preparing food on them. Standard furniture polishes, waxes, and oils are not appropriate here — many contain additives or mineral spirits that are not designed for food contact.

Howard Cutting Board Oil is a pure, food-grade mineral oil formulated specifically for timber cutting boards, butcher blocks, and wooden benchtops. It prevents the wood from drying, cracking, and warping, while being completely safe for surfaces that come in contact with food.

For a more intensive treatment, pair it with Howard Butcher Block Conditioner — a blend of beeswax and food-grade mineral oil that seasons and seals the wood surface for lasting protection.

Food safety note

Never use standard furniture oil, linseed oil, or cooking oils (like olive or vegetable oil) on cutting boards. They can turn rancid, harbour bacteria, or leave finishes that are unsafe for food contact. Always use a dedicated food-grade product like Howard Cutting Board Oil.

What to Avoid: Common Polish Mistakes on Australian Timber

Even with the best intentions, it's easy to make product choices that damage rather than protect your timber. Here are the most common mistakes to steer clear of:

• Using silicone-based polishes on antiques or shellac finishes — silicone can interfere with future repairs and refinishing work. All Howard products are silicone-free.
• Applying furniture wax over an oil finish — wax sits on top of oil and can peel or cloud over time. Match your product to the existing finish.
• Over-applying product — more is not more. Thin, even coats absorb better and last longer than thick applications.
• Using cooking oils on timber — olive oil, coconut oil, and other food oils turn rancid and attract bacteria, particularly on food-contact surfaces.
• Skipping the clean step — polishing over dust and grime seals the dirt into the surface. Always clean first with Howard Clean-A-Finish before polishing.

The Best Furniture Polish in Australia — Made Right Here

Howard Products has been trusted by Australian homeowners, antique restorers, and furniture professionals for decades. Every product in the range is specifically formulated for real-world use — easy to apply, safe for the whole family, and genuinely effective on Australian timber.

Whether you're caring for a brand-new hardwood dining table, a treasured antique, a painted upcycling project, or a well-used butcher block benchtop, there's a Howard product Australia designed exactly for the job.

Find your nearest Howard Products stockist at howardproducts.com.au/stockists or order online for fast delivery across Australia.