Paxton Furniture Restoration

We offer a complete range of finishing services for both antique and modern furniture.

A Note on Finishes

Many people in Great Britain confusingly refer to any type of wood finishing as "French polishing". This has given rise to many myths and misconceptions.

In fact, almost all wooden furniture made over the last 70 years has been polished with cellulose lacquer using spray technology. Unlike French Polish proper, these finishes do not lend themselves to recoating and, to do the job properly, will need to be stripped from the wood completely.

When this is not done, the finish will often flake and discolour after a matter of weeks. This practice has given rise to many people's distrust of spray polishing.

Traditional French Polishing

French Polishing is the technique developed during the 19th century of applying shellac to wood. The technique involves dissolving the shellac flakes in methylated spirit and "working" the polish by hand using a rubber.

It is a long, painstaking and highly skilled method which results in a thin but grain-filled finish. Although we can French Polish most woods, this finish is expensive and usually reserved for more valuable antique furniture.

Spray Finishing

Most of our furniture is refinished in this way. We use mainly pre-catalysed lacquer. Sheen levels from matt to full gloss are available. All work though is then hand-finished by smoothing the surface using a technique called "pulling over". This results in a very attractive finish which looks and feels good.

Precat is a good tough finish which is resistant to most heat and spillage damage. If a very heavy duty finish is required, for example for bathrooms or kitchens, we would recommend an acid catalysed lacquer.

Other Finishes

In addition we offer a range of wax and oil finishes as well tinted lacquers and special paint effects.