How to look after a French polished surface.
 |
| This Table hand French polished |
 |
| Now with the Handles, Hand turned & with fine detail |
Recently, I was asked, "How to look after a French polished surface".
Well, the first thing is to always protect the surface with a heat resistant covering, and on top of that lay a cotton table cloth, followed by placemats.
Never use a plastic cover! As this can stick to the surface due to the lack of airflow etc.
This should keep your table surface like new for many years to come.
Now to the question, if your polished surface looks a little drab and lifeless, you can wipe over the surface with white spirits applied to cotton wool and rub off with a soft clean cloth.
This will remove any old wax polish build-up. You must always follow the direction of the grain.
Still looking drab, you can use furniture burnishing cream purchased from good quality wood-finishing suppliers.
Apply to cotton wool, and see the dirt lift off like magic. Buff up with a soft clean cloth.
Repeat the process if required.
Now it is time to re-wax polish the surface, using a good quality Beeswax polish, apply using a very soft cloth and buff up with a fresh cloth. Again always follow the grain.
For the French polishers out there, this might be the time to polish over, with a rubber of French polish to revitalise the surface.
For tips, you might like to view my how to clean your furniture section.
I hope that this has been of help to you? If so please give me feedback.
Thank you for your time. 
Thank you, this was very useful and just what I was looking for. Now a different challenge for you.....on your Blog add in an RSS subscribe feature. This is availble and provided by google as part of their blogging platform. I will check-in with you at next weeks class :)
ReplyDeleteHi Graham,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your praise, I am lost regarding adding an RSS Subcribe Feature? Perhaps you would be kind enough, to bring me some information on where on my Dasboard I can do this.
I will add more How to do French polishing features when I have the time.
I see that several people are looking at my Blog in different Countries, this is great news.
See you Monday.
Regards,
Andrew.
Hi, thank you so much for sharing very useful and helpful post. Thе level οf care уοu impart οn уοur home office furniture mау depend upon hοw much іѕ needed. It аlѕο mіght depend upon frοm whаt materials each item іѕ mаdе.
ReplyDeleteFurniture Restorer
Please update blog!
ReplyDeleteSam,
DeletePlease let me know what you would like me to write about for my next post?
Thank you for your interest in my Blog site.
Regards,
Andrew.
Thank you Andrew for your informative article.
ReplyDeleteA question: What sort of coverings would constitute a heat resistant covering?
I have a french polished table which I inherited with a plate glass covering. Is this suitable?
Cheers,
Vince
Hello Vince, Thank you for reading my posts.
DeleteYes glass is OK! However, you will need to ensure that the glass has small rubber beads placed under the glass, so as to allow an air flow the the table surface.
Also use place mats for extra safety as you can't be too careful with hot plates etc, never place anything directly from an oven on the surface, as the heat will be extreamly hot and in doing so could cause the heat to pass through the glass on leave white markings on the table surface. Hope this will be of some help to you? Pease come back again if I can be of further help.
Regards, Andrew.
Andrew
ReplyDeleteI have a french polished red cedar dining table made about 12 years ago by a master craftsman in Brisbane Australia.
For some years now I have had glass covering the whole table as my wife also uses the table for sewing etc.
The surface looks OK; however should i have small felt pieces under the glass to keep it off the surface?
So far it has been OK however what is the best long term way to look after it
with thanks
Mark
Will it be possible to protect the polish with a thin layer of epoxy or other harder stuff which is not as fragile as the sanding sealer?
ReplyDeleteHi and thanks for your question.
DeletePersonally I would not put epoxy on top of a soft base coat like sanding sealer, why? Because it's always best to put the same finish product throughout the finishing process. As there can be no risk of chemical reactions between products and finishes. Unless you are using an epoxy sanding sealer? Not sure if there is owe available? If you are going to spray the surface then I would suggest you to stick to the one product and then you can be sure that it will dry properly and not encounter any adhesion problems. Hope this will help you? Let me know in the comments section. Regards, Andrew.
Dear Andrew,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the information. I have a 17th century wooden bench that I bought at an auction and I think it may have been french polished. I noticed when I accidentally spilt water on it that the surface was absorbent and has left a small water mark, is this consistent with a french polished surface? What is the best way to get rid of a watermark, or am I stuck with it? Many thanks, Charlotte
Hello Charlotte, Thank you for reading my Blogs.
ReplyDeleteYes, it sound just like a problem that would happen with a French polished finish. French polish does not like water, and always leaves the usual ring marks.
You can purchase a ring remover product from most good Supermarkets, you will find it on the shelf next to the Furniture spray cleaners and wax polishes. Try this product first, follow the instructions and I think it should solve your problem. If it doesn't work please come back to me for further advice. Best regards, Andrew.
Hi Andrew
ReplyDeleteI have just come across this blog and I’m reading your tips with great interest. I have an oval double leaf table that is Tasmanian Blackwood that would be at least 100 years old. It has been stained a deep mahogany colour and French polished - the last time it was done was almost 40 years ago. It was used for a period of time as a daily dining table but in more recent years has been used less regularly. It has several marks on it - one I know is a cigarette burn, the other major mark is where a cleaner placed and left a damp cloth on it- there are several other spots where the dark stain seems to have chipped. I am just wondering whether or not this would be a restorable project for myself and partner or are we best to try and locate a qualified French polisher. We live in a fairly isolated area. My partner has worked with timber all his life and he is confident he could do something but we are not certain whether or not we can repair these marks or whether or not we would need to take it all the way back to its original state and then follow steps to completely renew it. Your guidance and advice would be much appreciated
I have a georgian chest of drawers which has been french polished. I have been told not to wax polish it but just to wipe it. Is that right? Would polishing do any harm.
ReplyDeleteHi, sorry for the delay with this reply.
ReplyDeleteI would say that if you were to use a good quality bees wax polish, I can't see what harm you could possibly do. Remember to always apply the wax using a very soft cloth or better still cotton wool as it won't scratch the surface, apply following the grain and rub off properly. This should lift the surface sheen. I hope that this will be of some help to you. Regards, Andrew.
Hi, great blog. We were gifted a French polished dining table that's been in the family for 5 generations. Unfortunately it was stored in a garage for a year as it didn't fit through the door of our last home. We had a wall knocked down to make it fit in our current home! I think the garage was slightly damp as it was covered in a white film when we got it out. We use it as our daily dining table and have a 7 month old baby who eats at it as well so it sees a lot of action. It is in a conservatory which can get very hot and bright but we try to keep the curtains closed as much as possible when not actually using the room (but it's the main room if our house and there's no where else to put the table. The polish seems to be coming off really fast even though its only been in use for 4 months. We only clean it with water or gentle liquid soap. We've polished it with a non silicone beeswax a few times. It sounds like a French polish is not really suitable for our family life. Should we get it taken off and sand and varnish the table instead?
ReplyDelete