Varnishing wood with French Polish

HomeDecorations

  • Author Ishan Ahmad
  • Published February 15, 2010
  • Word count 355

Give your wooden pieces a new look with French polish and experience a highly glossy finish on all your wooden furniture.

French polish is not a new word to come up with, but it is heard over centuries. From Victorian era to the 21st century, it is considered as one of the best varnishing techniques. This process is mainly being used to polish the woods of furniture and the musical instruments like guitars. People who like to have their houses look great with the rooms decorated with designed furniture having a high glossier effect, can easily apply it to varnish the woods, as it is quite affordable and readily available in the market.

French polish actually is not a material, but a method of varnishing wood. It is a technique of wood finishing that results to give a highly glossy surface with a dark colour. The materials mostly used in this procedure are shellac, alcohol, pumice, oil, abrasives and rubbing pad. French polishing mainly includes applying many thin coats of shellac with a rubbing pad, commonly referred to as "Fad" or "Muneca", and the shellac used is first dissolved in alcohol. The method of finishing is regarded as one of the most extraordinary skillful ways to finish highly figured wood and it is scientifically experimented and found to be softer than modern varnishes. It is also simpler to repair than a damaged varnish, as patch repair in French polish is easily blended into an existing finish.

The process is generally lengthy and repetitive. The finish is the outcome of a specific combination of different rubbing motions, mainly circular and figure eight. Considerable time is needed to build up the layers of French polish. The fad or the rubbing pad is lubricated with oil that helps in integrating an overall finish. This helps in preventing the ‘fad’ from removing previously applied layers of shellac. It is very apt to use the harder oils (like walnut oil) comparatively to the softer oils (such as mineral oils), as the harder oil proves to be better giving the wood a lustrous effect, as it produces a more durable finish.

Ishan Ahmad is a professional Interior Decorator. He often writes on different aspects, elements and process of home and office interior decoration. This article is about French polish

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