Home

About us

French Polishing

Wooden Flooring

Sanding and Sealing

Gallery

Get a quote

Contact us

 

French Polishing in Lichfield

We offer a cost effective and professional French polishing service in the Lichfield and Staffordshire area. Our French polishers are some of the best in the country and are all highly experienced craftsmen specialising in all aspects of contemporary and traditional French polishing techniques.

French polishing is a technique used to achieve a beautifully high gloss and deep colour to wooden surfaces. The technique used by French polishers is to use a soft cotton rubbing pad, generally referred to as a fad, to apply many thin layers of polish until the required finish is achieved.

The main polish used is called Shellac which is actually the purified secretion of the lac beetle, a sap-sucking insect from India and Thailand. French polishing Shellac can be bought ready mixed, or in flakes or "buttons" and may be clear or tinted red, or golden. The Shellac polish is usually thinned down with alcohol or mentholated spirits before application.

French polishers use various applicators during the polishing process. For example a squirrel hair mop brush is used for smaller pieces or more detailed work. As detailed above, a fad is a material very similar to cotton wool which is dipped in the polish and applied to the wood in several thin layers.


Another commonly used applicator in French polishing is a 'rubber' which is is basically wadding with a soft cotton cloth wrapped around it to give a smooth silky pad. Rubbers are commonly used for applying the French polish to items of fine furniture. The rubber can also be used with raw linseed oil in a figure- eight motion and then straightened off to finish (generally a pumice is also used during this application).

The French polishing process is lengthy and extremely repetitive. The classic finish is achieved through a specific combination of different rubbing motions. First, French polishers use circular and figure-eights motions, then spiriting off any streaks left on the surface. Polishers have to wait for considerable time whilst building up layers of Shellac polish until the desired finish is obtained.

 

 

before

after

 

before

after


The process is usually finished off after levelling (oil sanding), then light buffing with carnauba wax. Too much heat or pressure from buffing will melt off the shellac and result in a bare spot that must be refinished.

French polishing became popular in the early part of the 20th century. During this era French polishing commonly used on mahogany and other expensive woods, and was considered the best possible finish for fine furniture and string instruments like guitars and pianos.

French Polishing Guarantee

Free Quotations

French Polishing Guarantee

Quality Guarantee

French Polishing Guarantee

Expert Advice

French Polishing Guarantee

Over 25 Years Experience

Testimonials

坚持母乳喂养。产后由于婴儿成长的需要燕窝酒酿蛋,母乳是最好的营养来源,所以坚持喂养母乳不止是可以帮助宝宝的成长发育产后丰胸,而母乳喂养,可以保证宝宝吮吸乳头,这样可以刺激乳腺的发育粉嫩公主酒酿蛋,也就是可以帮助乳房的二次发育,而且这样还能够预防乳腺疾病的发生丰胸产品,所以母乳喂养是非常有必要的行为。