The easy, low-cost modification of the polarity of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) through blending with oxidized Fischer-Tropsch wax was investigated. A 10 wt % concentration of the wax increased the polar component of the total surface free energy 10 times for LDPE and 4.5 times for HDPE. Modified LDPE also had significantly higher adhesion to the polar substrate, which was represented by a crosslinked epoxy-based resin. This behavior was not observed for HDPE. The conservation of the good mechanical properties of polyethylene was observed. The wax content had only a moderate influence on the mechanical properties. (C) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.