Can anyone recommend the best wax or oil product for finishing new softwood?

Answer 1

You ask a very general question and is therefore hard to answer but I'll give it a try. The best finish is very much dependent on where the softwood is installed. If it is a molding such as baseboard or door casing, almost any finish will do as it is not subjected to much in the way of water or chemicals, molding in bathrooms or kitchen are an exception. If you are talking about furniture that does not have a horizontal surface and is not intended for outside use, again anything you like will do. If you are talking about outside use, I would use a pigmented stain either semi transparent of solid color as it will last, clear easy finishes such as Thompson Water Seal are waxed based and last a year. For inside horizontal surfaces such as a sideboard or table, I would use something tough that will stand up to water and use, such as oil based polyurethane. You could stain first if you wanted a color change. Just plain wax finish on softwood will not stand up to water or any abuse or even much use but is very easy to repair.

Answer 2

I'm with 'stevetower', in that it would help to know exactly what the wood was going to be used for. That said, I use Watco oil stains on almost all of my softwood, indoors and out. It's THE easiest to use (wipe it on, wait 5 minutes, wipe off the excess), and comes in 6 or 8 tones from very light to very dark. For indoor use, follow the directions. For outdoor use, follow my directions: Mop the stuff on...pour it on the wood and spread it (fairly) evenly with a paint brush. Use as heavy a coat as you can. Let dry. In full sun this will be about 20 minutes and will result in a glossy finish.
Indoors, the oil stain product finishes matte but, Watco has both gloss and satin finishes that can be applied over the oil stain. For and 'old wood' look they also have a wipe on/buff off wax that doe's a really nice job.
I hate to sound like a commercial for this stuff but, it IS the easiest way to finish wood and has been my choice of preference for 25+ years.
Have fun

Answer 3

Many of the softwoods, like pine, tend to absorb the stain unevenly, yielding less than desireable results.
A cure for that is to apply a sealing coat first, consisting of a
90/10 thinned mixture of the desired stain. After dry, this coat should effectively seal the softer parts so that the subsequent coat(s) absorb more evenly.
Any good brand stain will work. Happy finishing!

Answer 4

Depends on where you live? If you happen to be in Australia then check out the web site below. Look under Tuff Coat Polyurethane for a full range of Tung oil polyurethane's and also water based polyurethanes. These are exceptional products and there will be something that will suit your needs.