French polishing
The traditional shellac finish used on quality furniture since the early 19th century, built up by hand for depth and warmth, not sprayed.
Revive before you strip
Many tired surfaces are dirt and old wax over a good original finish. Cleaning and reviving keeps that original surface and its colour, and usually costs less than a full re-polish. We’ll always look at that option first.
Repairing a damaged finish
Water rings, heat marks, scratches and worn edges can often be repaired locally and blended in, without re-polishing the whole piece.
Full re-polishing
Where a finish is beyond saving, or a piece has been stripped, we build a new shellac finish by hand, matched to the age and style of the piece. The result has the depth of a period finish, not the hard gloss of a modern spray lacquer.
Send photos of the surface
Photos in daylight, plus a close-up of the worst area, give us a good first view.