What is the difference between French polish and varnish?
French polish is a traditional finish for timber with a long history of use usually associated with a high gloss finish. Most modern varnish finishes provide a superior finish which won’t be damaged by heat, water etc, but french polish does represents a tradition finish which no other finish can match.
What polish do French polishers use?
French polishing consists of applying many thin coats of shellac dissolved in denatured alcohol using a rubbing pad lubricated with one of a variety of oils.
How long does French polishing take?
It typically takes six to eight full repetitions of the French polishing and spiriting steps outlined above before you’ll reach the full glossy finish you desire. Remember to let the wood dry completely for at least one hour between each session. Buff out any small imperfections.
How do you remove French polish from wood?
To cut back, or completely remove a French polish, you can use methylated spirits and wire wool. The process is fairly slow, and you may find that all the blemishes disappear before the polish is completely removed. That’s great, and you can then begin to build the layers up again (see applying stage later on).
Can you French polish over varnish?
The answer is that French polishing only works with shellac. It surely doesn’t work with a varnish (wipe-on poly) or water-based finish.
How do you make French polish shiny?
Fill in open grain with pumice powder. Filling in the grain with ultra-fine FFFF-grade pumice powder (such as this CQ Concepts product on Amazon) will help achieve the smoothest French polish. Make a new dabber, and moisten it just a little bit with denatured alcohol.
Can you sand off French polish?
You can either restore them gently with wax or go right back to the bare wood and start again. When you French polish a piece of furniture, you strip it back to the bare wood with paint stripper and neutralise that with white spirit, and then sand it with increasingly fine grades of sandpaper.
