French Polishing & Finishing Ltd

Andrew did a lovely job of fixing and restoring my mid-century desk chair. He collected and delivered the item and worked within covid guidelines.

A sewing cabinet and the main dining room table were in a sorry state. When both pieces of furniture were returned they had been given a new lease of life. Re-lacquering and liming on the table was top rate and the cleaning and polishing of the cabinet was well done. I would recommend this company of skilled craftsmen highly.

There were areas of my dining table that had lost varnish and colour over the years and this spoiled the overall appearance of a much-loved item of furniture. I sent an email and photograph of the table to the French Polishing Company and asked about the possibility of repairing the damage. Andy contacted me and arranged to come to the house and inspect the table. Following the visit, he provided me with a written estimate, which I accepted. The table has now been returned to me and I am delighted with the quality of the work. The table looks like new. I have no hesitation in recommending this company.

I am a retired university lecturer and have taken up fine woodworking as a hobby. I needed advice on how to French polish properly. Sadly 'Night school" doesn't exist anymore. So what next, my neighbour got me in contact with Andy who offered to give me a short tutorial. He called round to my house to inspect a Repro Georgian Hall table I was working on restoring. He pointed out my mistakes but best of all (the sign of a good teacher) showed me how to correct them, without any criticism of my amateur actions. Andy is a really nice guy and a true craftsman who has worked at this craft all his working life, and was enthusiastic about passing on his wonderful skills. Would I contract him to do work on fine furniture at my home? Yes I would and will recommend him to my friends. I will undoubtable contact him again for further advice.

I contacted Andy about restoring and repairing a Victorian dining table which was badly marked. He visited the house promptly to look at the table and from the outset, I trusted his recommendations of what should be done. He was easy to talk to and ready to answer every question - he obviously knew what he was talking about. In spite of lock down, he kept me informed as to how the work was going and when he delivered the table I was thrilled with the result. I had asked him to remove castors from legs of table which actually made the table too low but he was more than happy to help and will make pads to raise the table. Andy's brand of professionalism, expertise and 'approachability' belongs, sadly, to a past era. As the saying goes: they don't make 'em like that any more. I couldn't recommend him enough - I feel so fortunate that I found him.

I contacted Andrew for job fixing my wooden countertop. He came back to me with a detailed explanation of why in this instance sanding would not be the right solution and potentially cause more damages, which was great advice and allowed us not to waste money on the job. He also offered a potential alternative solution through replacement of the countertop, by putting us in touch with one of his joiners contact.

Andy brought back to life a second hand coffee table for me. Such a good job that I doubt it looked as good as it does now when it was new! He is very reliable and professional - a real old style craftsman and clearly has a passion for what he does. Pleasant to deal with and I would thoroughly recommend him.

We gave The French Polishing Company a call to explain we had a very old desk that we'd like to reuse if possible, a melamine shelf/stand that we use for our speakers and computer screen, and a couple of small pieces of worktop that all go together to house our mixing desk. Andy visited the studio to take a look at the repairs we needed, he quickly understood that sustainability is really important to us and made really helpful suggestions and recommendations. He completely refurbished the desk - it now looks new. He also sourced a piece of old unloved wood and matched it to the desk - to replace the melamine shelf and completely refurbished the small worktops. We are delighted with the results, especially as we thought the items we had might be impossible to repair. Everything was completed on time, his service and standard of work represents excellent value for money.

The French Polishing Company (Andrew Stonebridge) did an excellent job french polishing our handrail and newel post. The colour match was perfect and we were very pleased with the high quality finish. Andrew was also very pleasant to deal with. I would not hesitate to recommend the company.

I had a broken jewellery box given to me which I wanted to get repaired for my daughter. I contacted Andy after seeing some of his jobs he had done previously to see if it was something he could do. I left the box with him and collected a few days later. Andy and Jay did a fantastic job and would never have known it had even been broken. My daughter now has something to cherish for years to come. Thank you so much I can’t recommend you enough!