Guide to French Polishing

Prepare the Surface

• If your furniture piece is dirty or the preexisting shellac finish is damaged or degraded you will want to sand it gently, and evenly scuff the surface. Use a very fine 280-grit carbide sandpaper wrapped around a cork or medium-density foam sanding block to scuff the surface and give it some tooth for the new shellac to adhere to. Wipe away any of the dust and debris with a clean, dry and lint-free cloth or a tack cloth.
  
  

Mix Polish and Prepare Application Pad

• French Polish is actually made of two ingredients: denatured alcohol and shellac flakes or granules that are derived from the resin produced from insects native to Southeast Asia. In a widemouthed glass jar with an airtight lid, mix shellac flakes and alcohol to the measurements specified on the packaging and swirl to dissolve the flakes and combine. This can take up to 24 hours. The polish is applied with a clean and soft cotton pad that you can make yourself by using lint-free cotton like a soft, clean, old T-shirt or fine cheesecloth. Roll a wad roughly the size of a Twinkie or smaller and then wrap that wad in another layer of the same soft cotton so that you can use the outer layer as a kind of handle with which you can apply pressure to the pad.
  
  

French Polishing Technique

• Dip your pad into the polishing liquid and let it soak in a bit. Apply to the wood surface in sweeping, circular and figure eight strokes, firmly and evenly covering the entire surface with a thin film of shellac. Allow it to dry for at least 10 minutes. After the first pass add a few drops of linseed or walnut oil to the pad face to assist its glide as it deposits shellac. Your goal is to lay on at least 100 thin layers of shellac for a high-gloss professional finish. Reapply shellac to the pad when you can see that is no longer laying any product down, but never have it dripping wet with shellac; always distribute the moisture throughout the wad. Add a few more drops of oil when you start to feel or see the pad drag on the surface and you know you have enough shellac in the wadding.
  
  French Polish can be used to add a new finish onto wood or it can be placed over the top of a preexisting shellac finish to fill in any scratches, dings, cracks, crazing, water or heat damage or wear points. While a French Polish finish is much more delicate than a modern spray lacquer finish, it can also be repaired or darkened more easily at home at little to no cost.