French Polishing

For most of us the thought of French polishing your wooden furniture would fill us with dread. Surely it is something which should be left to a professional? In many cases this might be true, but it is something which can be done at home on a small scale. Perhaps the best way to start would be to practise on a small piece of furniture (nothing too expensive or treasured) to build up your technique and see what the results are.

Many books are available on the subject and it might pay to read one before starting – but the following tips might point you in the right direction and show just how easy it could be.

French polishing tips

• It is very important to start with a clean piece of furniture. This can be achieved by washing with warm water and soap or with ingrained dirt it might be necessary to use a 50/50 mix of white spirit and oil.
• Once clean it will need to be stripped back to the bare wood, removing any old varnish, wax or paint with stripper. Neutralise this with white spirit before continuing.
• There may be areas which now require wood filler. Push this into any dents or cracks with a cloth and leave to dry.
• Sand slightly and apply stain if required. Some woods will look more rich with a light staining.
• Take a bundle of cotton wool wrapped in cotton sheeting (known as a “fad”), apply the polish to the fad and polish along the grain of the wood.
• After a few coats the colour will have started to develop. Allow to dry and sand very lightly along the grain with a 320 grit paper. Clean off the dust with a cloth.
• You may want to repeat this process of polishing and sanding until the wood shines and is reflective.
• Apply some linseed oil to the fad and sweep it across the wood many times. (as much as 50-70 times is best).

It is worth pointing out that a French polished table does not resist staining very well and will show heat marks and spills. This is a process which should be reserved for very occasional furniture. It does, however give wood an amazing lustre that simply cannot be achieved with varnish or lacquer.

If you are willing to give it a go you could save a substantial amount of money and be left with a piece of furniture which will be the envy of your friends.