French Polishing

[yllib]

Hi all.
Can anybody tell me as to whether you can apply french polish over the top of other types of finishes providing they are in good condition?

 

[Dangermouse 2nd]

No...

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

You can do it but it will not last long before it starts to delaminate. Did you have anything in mind?

 

[yllib]

No...
[/QUOTE

You can do it but it will not last long before it starts to delaminate. Did you have anything in mind?

hi. Thanks for your reply. I am currently carrying out a repair on the legs of the table and the client asked whether the top could be french polished or not. I believe the top to be finished in cellulose lacquer which has a very high gloss finish. I just thought whether it could possibly be rubbed down to a very fine grade which would give the french polish it’s key to stick. Thank you

 

[TheTiddles]

If it’s cellulose, has the finish cracked? If not you can re-polish it by fine sanding then using a burnish cream

 

[Jacob]

French polish sticks to most things really well but whether or not it looks good is another thing altogether!
"Knotting" is a french polish variant and its value is exactly down to how well it sticks - even to resinous knots. And stuff sticks to it in turn - it's a brilliant primer.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

As Jacob said, it is possible, shellac will stick to cellulose but it will not last, putting a soft finish on top of a hard finish will look okay for a while but will scratch really easily as when the shellac has cured and hardened the slightest impact will cause it to shatter. If the cellulose is just a bit worn and tired it can be revived with TCut or burnishing cream. If it has areas that are discoloured with fading or blooms from water/heat damage it can be revived using a can of bloom and moisture remover like this one.....
Briwax Professional Moisture and Bloom Eliminator, 400ml This stuff will only work on single pack lacquer, if you do use it make sure the surface is really clean first.

 

[yllib]

A big thank you to everybody for both your expertise and advice. I find the information which people give freely on this site and their willingness to help people out second to none. The tabletop is just dull with light scratches. I have taken your advice and cleaned down and de waxed, then rubbed down with wet and dry paper down to 1200 grit. I just now need to get myself some 2000 grit to take away the scratches left by the 1200 grit. I applied tcut in a small area and waxed over the top and polished and it came up like a glass finish. Albeit you can still see the scratches from the 1200 grit.
Thank you once again for the help.