Wax over Antique Oil for green mantle

[ryan paulsen]

I have a 4" thick White Oak mantle that was sawn about a year ago. It will be installed in the next couple of weeks, and will finish drying in place. It is live edge and somewhat rustic, so any twisting, shrinking, and checking is all fine for the look of the room. I have finished all sides with Antique Oil. I like the look of wax over the oil-varnish finishes. Should I wait until the mantle has reached EMC inside the house before waxing? Is it a bad idea to wax a mantle over a direct-vent gas fireplace anyway? I'm assuming I will need to oil several times over the next few years as the thing dries, shrinks, and checks and I'm also assuming adding wax now would prohibit that. Any thoughts?

[Steve Schoene]

Wax won't be as dramatic a halt to moisture transfer as you suspect. Only if you get extraodinary amounts (say 1/16 of an inch for a guess) would it prohibit drying.

[ryan paulsen]

Sorry, i worded the question poorly... I was thinking that i would need to reapply the antique oil as checks appear and the slab shrinks. If i wax, i am assuming i wouldn't be able to oil again. Do you think i would be better off waxing now, and touching up with wax later? Or, wait to wax, and touch up with the antique oil until the slab is dry.

[ryan paulsen]

I decided to leave the Antique Oil only for now, figuring I can touch up the oil as needed down the road. Here's what I ended up with:
306361

I cut the tree down myself in the process of clearing land to build the house, can't wait to see what it looks like installed!

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> I'm also assuming adding wax now would prohibit that

Wax is a poor sealer to inhibit moisture from entering or exiting wood. Moisture passes right through it.