French Polishing Biedermeier Furniture – Beginners Guide
French Polish & Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
French polishing Biedermeier furniture is a delicate but rewarding process that brings out the beautiful depth and warmth of the wood.
The show wood veneers commonly used in Biedermeier pieces like golden birch, cherry, walnut or maple come to life when you repolish them.
So in case you fancy having a go yourself or at least so you understand what your restorer might do for you – Here’s a simple French polishing beginners guide
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What You’ll Need to rep0lish your Biedermeier Sofa
Shellac in a blonde or light-colored tone perfect for most show woods or a darker colour for Mahogany veneers
Denatured alcohol for thinning the shellac
Pumice powder or grain filler used for pore filling if an open-grain wood veneer like walnut is present
Linseed oil or a similar mineral oil
French polishing rubber – a special wadding wrapped in cotton cloth so you don’t scratch the surface
Fine sandpaper (400–600 grit)
A Tack cloth
Lots of Soft lint-free cloths
Prep the Surface
Clean gently: Remove any old wax or grime from the surfaces with a mild wood cleaner.
Strip off the old french polish: Gently use a fit for purpose stripper gently to preserve veneers and remove accumulated layers of polish.
Sand lightly: Use fine sandpaper (400–600 grit) and importantly always sand with the grain.
Clean again: Use a tack cloth to remove dust after sanding or it will clock your french polish.
Fill the Grain
If you’re working with open grain wood like walnut:
Use pumice or appropriate grain filler and alcohol during the early stages of polishing to fill the grain.
Apply filler sparingly to the pad and work in circles using shellac to fill the pores.
For tighter-grain woods like cherry or birch this may not be required unless the veneer have cracked.
Make the French Polishing Rubber
Create a polishing pad using cotton wool or old T-shirt material, balled up.
Wrap it in a smooth cotton cloth like a handkerchief or similar soft material.
Add a few drops of shellac and alcohol to the core and fold the cloth over it tightly.
Apply Shellac
Dab the pad lightly in shellac and alcohol & apply in gentle circular motions.
Always keep the pad moving to avoid stocking or creating a streaky finish.
Every so often add a drop of oil to the pad to keep it moving easily.
Apply in thin, multiple coats—do not flood the surface.
Build The French Polish up in Layers
Make sure you allow each layer of polish to dry overnight before applying the next layer.
Lightly sand with 800–1000 grit sand paper to smooth the surface between layers – don’t press too hard.
Build up a number of coats of French polish until you get the level of depth and sheen you want them
Spiriting Off
When you’rve completed the number of layers of polish, switch to a clean pad with just alcohol without any oil or shellac and rub gently to remove excess surface oil and smooth the finish.
Final Touch
Once the french polish has cured, you should wax the Biedermeier carver chair with a high-quality paste wax for protection and extra sheen.
Finally tuff the iece gently with a soft cloth.
You can see our current stock of lovely 1800s Swedish Biedermeier pieces here
