Master Craftsman Aaron Saxton Uses Only Waterlox Finishes Because “There’s Waterlox and Then There’s Everything Else”

When Aaron Saxton moved to the United States a few years ago from his native Australia, he settled into a nice niche business designing and building custom furniture for collectors as well as preparing mid-century pieces for auctions. Saxton, an accomplished craftsman in his own right, developed his own list of clients and associated himself with auction houses that were in need of his services to prepare antique, mid-century pieces through restoration for upcoming auctions.

“I do a little modern work but my specialty is the restoration of vintage pieces because the woods the people attending these auctions really are seeking are pieces made out of solid maple oak or birch and you can’t get that kind of furniture anymore,” Saxton said. “To put it bluntly the quality of new furniture these days just isn’t as good as previous built items.” Saxton worked with a long-time craftsman to finish his items but his finishing partner would never tell him the source of the products that he used to complete the pieces, until he retired. “You see, my work had always been good, excellent maybe, but my finish was never the look I sought,” he said. “When my friend the master craftsman was retiring he finally introduced me to his secret - Waterlox.

“Since I have been using it the quality of my finishes doesn’t just make people compliment the work as they used to, it makes them stare and wonder how wood could ever look that good. Waterlox isn't a secret - it's a trade secret. I view my finished items now with the pride I always wanted to. I am truly thankfully for them producing the actual finest finishing product I have known - and I have used them all. There is no near second place to Waterlox. There's Waterlox and then there’s everything else.” Saxton literally has people stop and ask him how he finished a piece of wood furniture so incredibly beautiful since he started using Waterlox. “A piece of wood is only as good as what you last do to it. You know that look that wood has after a nice finish, it beams and it talks to you. It’s almost dry oil. That’s what Waterlox gave me. I didn’t even know the finish was there, I could almost feel the wood like it was cut yesterday. To this day it looks the same as the day I applied it. I’ve cleaned it I’ve had objects on it and it still feels like I oiled it yesterday. It’s a showstopper and people are grabbed by it and think I got it at auction and no I finished it myself here. “I threw away all of the other finishes once I saw Waterlox. I didn’t even finish the cans; it’s that good in my opinion. I’m in the process of sanding down every other piece I’ve had in my own home to pull off the old finishes to redo them with Waterlox.” Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation. Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes. About Waterlox Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from resin-modified Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application. For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. To visit Waterlox on Facebook, click HERE, or you can follow Waterlox on Twitter at @tungoilfinishes. Media Contact: Ed DeMask / DeMask Marketing 630-768-1404, cell 630-389-0572, office ed@demaskmarketing.com