My suggestions may not be applicable to your situation. I have dark oak flooring from the 1970's that was supposedly factory-finished except that the finish wasn't very good. So I wax. Try to remove the old wax with an oil-based solvent such as mineral spirits(? I forget what I used) or lacquer thinner. These are pretty bad, so make sure you have adequate ventilation. Your hardware store may have other suggestions. Just get on the floor with the solvent, paper towels, gloves, gentle scrub brush, and trash can. It's easier to control the amount of solvent and cleaning if you clean the floor manually. The paper towels indicate how much junk is left on the floor. Being close to the floor gives you a better idea of how much soil/sand/debris is left. I used to use Johnson's paste wax, which was fine, except that the flooring has a very "rustic" texture which made removing excess wax impossible. The build-up eventually turned yellow. So now I use Bruce "liquid wax with cleaner". It doesn't last as long as paste wax, but the process doesn't take as long. Again, I just get down on the floors, pour and wipe to spread, wait a few minutes, and buff by hand with old terrycloth towels or old socks. I used to use a buffer, but it got too hard to handle as I got older. Plus, the areas next to the wall had to be buffed by hand anyway. Just put yourself in a Zen state. Wax as needed. You can spot wax the areas with heavy traffic. Just don't wax too frequently. Once a year may be enough. HTH

Bumblebeez - I think you and I have something in common! :-) I have had botox / dysport in my forehead numerous times, and Juvederm in my nasolabials and lips about 3 x. My dermatologist is great and does a subtle look. I LOVE it. The only drawbacks are 1) cost - I work and make a really good salary, but the cost does make me feel gulity ( esp since I have 2 kids and I know they and DH love me no matter what I look like) and 2) you can have the best doc in the world but there is always that small chance of some kind of negative outcome. The pain part is nothing to me - no dental blocks for me - I have been through 2 natural childbirths with almost 9 lb babies. Pain is good - it lets you know you are alive ;-) That being said, the non- medicated lip injections at one point did have silent tears on my face. But I like to forgo the pain meds bc in my mind that is one less potential side affect I need to worry about. I guess my point is that lip augmentation in my experience was worth the cost. It is not all Lisa Rinna giant duck lips! the biggest downide for me is that I love it and when it wears off you need to consider whether or not you want to include it as bumblbeez says, in your maintenance routine! I must add that I only get manis / pedis about 2 x year because I'm prioritizing my hair and face! :-)

I have an entire houseful of woodwork to darken due to new wood floors. I have no cash left to pay a pro to redo everything or to replace all of the doors and trim in my home. Therefore, I am on my own. Everyone has said something true, and I have experienced it all. I am starting to get acceptable results now. Not acceptable to a "pro", but acceptable to folks I know who are aware, picky and share honest feedback. I've tried this and "Howards Restore-a-Finish". The Restore a finish is nice, but is not affecting the color much, and getting a redder hue is what I am after. I have a door and a cabinet I will lkely re0do. But the rest is turning out quite well. I will share what I have learned so far: - Experiment before starting the big job. I tried rubbing the minwax and brushing. Brushing is the best for me. - Clean your surface well (duh). I use a sponge with a ScotchBrite backing to gain surface grip for the minwax (I simply do not have the time to remove all doors and work them horizontally) - This stuff is too thick and sets too fast. To overcome this I work one thing at a time to "completion". Example: one cabinet door, one coat at a time. - I use small amounts in a separate container (don't paint directly out of the minwax can as I started doing. WRONG!!!). - Your brush will quickly become your worst enemy. Frequently clean your brush with paint thinner. - Find a brush you are comfortable with. I have settled into 1.5" width max. - I use thinner liberally and frequently on my brush. Keeping the brush cleared with thinner keeps the minwax flowing thinner, better, and more consistently; plus, it keeps the minwax wetter longer. I am able to easily work the surface (a vertical door jamb for example) top to bottom. - Don't stop to chat on the phone and then come back into your section you were working on. Guaranteed problems. You must your finish your section. - Last, but not least, take your time. The last thing I may try is actually thinning the minwax with thinner, but I don't know if I will go there now that my results are so much improved. Good luck!!

FWIW, Pugler, we used Waterlox, a much more durable and water-resistant finish, and, since the sink area is "temporary" counter, set the undermount on top for now. As it is, though, we should have put additional coats in the hole for the faucet. There is a thin discolored ring around its edge that would make me uneasy about what we'd have if we had undermounted the sink. Certainly, I doubt mineral oil would have cut it long term without exceptional care. FWIW, our really noticeable problem is where the soap dispenser rises directly from the wood. The soap chemicals from occasional drips and drops not wiped up (DH the big culprit) started penetrating the finish fairly early on. Note that this is mostly a maintenance problem and could have been avoided, or greatly minimized, with greater care, the kind someone using mineral oil might do as a matter of course. Plus, mineral oil can be reapplied very quickly and easily, unlike Waterlox, whose fumes require relocating for a couple days and can't be kept stored for touchups for any length of time. Other options would have been a metal base plate (yuck), or, better choice for us, waiting to build one in because we've always planned to wrap this high-maintenance area with stainless steel eventually anyway. Also BTW, Waterlox has been beautiful and durable on all our non-soap/water counter areas.