French Polishing - Detailed Information

French polishing is a highly skilled method of achieving beautifully rich and stunning results on wooden surfaces. French polishing is a Meticulous process that will bring the best out of the woods natural properties.

To achieve the best finish any slight imperfections must be removed, including any stains or varnish that has been previously applied. We use special chemicals to remove any other contaminants from the wood. We then use a fine abrasive paper to obtain a smooth finish. Where the wood is open grained, the grain must be filled with a suitable grain filler if a glass-like finish is required. This can also be achieved by applying extra coats of polish and cutting back using an ultra fine steel wool several times until the grain is filled.

Fading up is the process of the first applications of polish. We apply the polish up and down the grain slightly overlapping the previous pass.

A series of application of polish in circular & figure of eight motions. These applications are extremely tricky as and even amount of polish must be applied to avoid light or darker spots. The motion must be swept into the wood rather than placing the rubber on the wood and starting the motion. This leaves dark spots that are very hard to remove. The final pass is a fairly brisk motion lightly up and down the grain.

After 4 or 5 applications of bodying in, the work must be left for a few hours to harden. French polishing is a long process but the results are well worth the time and effort spent. We always rub down the surface between coats with fine steel wool to ensure a smooth surface.

Once a sufficient layer has been applied, we proceed onto the next stage. We mix the polish with methylated spirit and use the same motions when bodying in to produce a final high gloss finish. A light brisk motion will achieve a higher gloss finish.

In some cases, a mirror-like finish is not required. We take on the process of burnishing. After a few days of hardening, we cut back the polish using a fine steel wool and finish off with a fine paste wax.