French Polishing & Finishing Ltd

Andy and team offered some very helpful advice and options for the refurbishment of my vintage dining table with 2 leaves. I hated the colour, the finish and the extending mechanism was not smooth. Andy helped me choose a more suitable finish and luckily when removing the previous polish found that the table was already the perfect colour. My “new” table is even better that I imagined. Also, delivered on time and kept me up to date. A perfect experience. Thank you.

Andy came and sorted out two drawers which were completely stuck on a chest of drawers, and also repaired an antique box for me. Workmanship was excellent, and Andy was very punctual and tidy. So grateful to him and very happy to recommend.

Andy restored a set of six dining chairs for us. Some of them were in very poor condition but he worked wonders with them. He even sourced some African hardwood to patch them up.

I inherited a 1950s Gordon Rusell dressing table (plus rattan stool) which was in a sorry state. It was very faded, had a huge water mark, numerous blemishes, and the support for the mirror was busted. When Andy and son brought it back last week, it was a true Repair Shop I moment - I literally had tears in my eyes because of the transformation. The gorgeous warm colour of the wood is incredible. It genuinely is a pleasure doing business with Andy. He is amazingly knowledgeable, polite, punctual and good at keeping in touch on the progress of the job. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

We had bought a nice second-hand G-Plan -style coffee table from antique shop. Within a month, while we were away, the young folk placed their hot take-away containers on it and ruined its appearance with big pale marks . Oh and possibly me as well with a coffee mug. My wife was very fed up, I had gotten French Polishing to work on another table a few years back when my wife mixed up Mr Sheen with Oven Cleaner, so happy to use again as they did an excellent job. Mr Stonebridge collected the coffee table and returned within the week . Marks are all gone , and as requested, a smooth tough coating has been applied capable of withstanding us clumsy folk . Most importantly , my exacting wife is v pleased with the results. Price very reasonable, Quality excellent. Recommended.

The surface of my poor old mid century modern dining table was badly damaged and I didn’t hold out much hope. Andy came along (all the way down to Devon), took one look and reassuringly said he could bring it back to full glory for me. Which he has done. Brilliantly! I don’t know how he did it, but my table is more beautiful than ever. No fuss or drama, just a beautiful job by a master of his craft. Highly recommended. Would definitely use Andy’s service again.

Impressed by the stunning reviews of Andy's skills and care in restoring beautiful furniture, I hesitantly approached him for advice on how to remove a circular water mark from a rather more modest treasure - my carved Robert Thompson 'Mouseman' fruit bowl. To my delight, he readily took it on as a project, and has transformed the 70-80 year old bowl into the flawless object it once was. I could not be more thrilled. Huge thanks Andy.

Andrew managed to collect my chair within a few hours of my initial call and dropped it back after repairing the leg to a high standard a few weeks later. Great service!

Lovely job to clean and refinish 2 tired bible back chairs. Breathed new life into them and looking wonderful now. Thanks to Andy and team.

We got Andy to sympathetically repair/restore an antique chest of drawers. We thought it was 100 years old, but expert Andy identified it was a cross between Victorian and Georgian - being altered/repaired over the years! We were expecting the drawers to look shiny and parts repaired, but nothing prepared us for the wonderful sight we saw when Andy lifted the cloth to reveal a masterpiece! So shiny, beautiful and all broken parts repaired. Thanks Andy

Andy restored our mid-century mod table. After an unfortunate incident with a hot bowl, we needed his expertise again. Hey, presto! It looked better than ever within a few minutes. Highly recommended, as the saying goes.

I had a 50-year-old table resurfaced. Apparently, the markings were very deep and caused them a lot of work but they stuck to the original quote. Another item taken at the last minute was done without a quote but was also reasonable.

Repair of footstool's leg was not the first work done by Andy and his team for us, previously he repaired a wooden bannister and sofa's leg. On all occasions, his work is excellent, the final look of the furniture as perfect as possible. He arrives at agreed time, provides an explanation of what needs to be done and cost of the work. I can definitely recommend Andy's service.

Our old table was falling apart due to the original woodglue aging. Andy diagnosed the problem and then took the table away to make the fix. The table has been returned no completely fixed and is now very solid and robust.

A brilliant French Polisher who did a fantastic job on our dining room table. The table had scratches and stains on it and Andy restored it back to looking brand new. Andy and his team provided a slick service and I would highly recommend Andy.

Andy was so professional and kind. He was great at communication and follow up whereas I found it hard to get responses from others I contacted for quotes. It is a joy to have our furniture fixed and I’m sure we’ll contact him in future. We’ve also recently moved in and it was great to chat to him about the wood features in our home and learn what various woods the staircase is made of for example. Many thanks Andy for the great work!

Andy and his team were second to none. Not only did they take on a pretty complicated project (stripping back and making good a railway sleeper table that had suffered severe water damage - which two other providers declined based on the work involved), but they approached it with real gusto, innovation and a can-do attitude. The communication during the project was fantastic and the workmanship sublime. They met the agreed schedule, the costs were very fair and transparent and the end result - well, we're ecstatic! I have no hesitation in recommending Andy and his team. They're real craftsmen and all-around decent folk. Thanks so much, Andy and Co.

Brilliant French Polisher who did a wonderful job on an antique table with lots of spots and scratches. I wanted the table to be restored without losing its character as it is a family piece with lots of history. Andy listened really carefully to me and took time to explain and discuss the possibilities. The result went beyond my expectations! I would highly recommend French Polishing & Finishing Ltd to anyone.

I would highly recommend Andy. He was very helpful and informative. He removed a wood panelled mantelpiece at short notice and was very careful not to damage the surrounding panelling. I look forward to him returning to clean and polish the wood panelling after our building project completes.

I would highly recommend The French Polishing Company (Andy). Our brand new oak floor was heavily damaged (fireplace hearth stone dropped onto floor during fitting). Andy responded the same day the damage was made to assess and took away a sample to practice the repair. Andy then returned at a convenient date to complete the fix and performed an excellent job to disguise and provide a durable solution to the damage. Andy took a very thoughtful approach to provide the very best disguise for the damage with his extensive experience and highly professional workmanship, plus very competitive cost. Thanks Andy.

Andy did a great job renovating an old desk and converting it in to a modern cocktail cabinet. Fantastic service and thorough work with an eye for detail.

Andy did a great job giving a new lease of life to an old family bureau. It looks as good as new! He was helpful and friendly from the first phone call until delivering the bureau to my home. The price was fair; and I now have him lined up for a couple of other jobs.

We have just had an antique tabletop repaired, restored and finished by French Polishing and Finishing. Superb workmanship, on time and on budget. They were helpful, polite and courteous. I cannot recommend them enough!

Having read previous reviews I used the services of the French Polishing Company for the first time. Their service was friendly and courteous. They kept me up to date with progress and in every respect were totally reliable. The job was completed on time and at a fair price. I would recommend them without hesitation.

Really great service. We have a large polished rosewood sideboard which was broken by two feral children. Andy managed to repair two hinges and make two splintered and sad-looking doors look as good as new. He also worked his magic on an ugly watermark (probable gin as a result of the children) disappear on a small cocktail cabinet. He collected. He delivered. He had a smile on his face. We loved him. Thank you, Andy!

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!

Andy fixed a bedroom door which had come off its hinges. He arrived as arranged, was very quick and efficient and the door is now repaired, rehung and working fine! As Andy is a singer in the community choir I lead (low bass!), we bartered and he did the work in return for me including a specific song in our forthcoming rehearsals! Andy is a superb craftsman, utterly trustworthy, helpful and considerate. I recommend him highly as an experienced, skilled tradesman and a lovely human being.

I had an armchair frame in bits - unexpectedly! Andrew came to the rescue and did a terrific job of gluing it back together. He gave me the option of having the wood refinished, but also advice on refinishing it myself, which I appreciated. I would recommend Andrew in a heartbeat and will definitely be calling on his services again in future.

Andrew really saved us from a bit of a mess - we live in a rented flat and our cleaner damaged a corner of a large polished wooden kitchen surface with oven cleaner. After contacting several polishing companies, they all gave us huge quotes and would only offer to sand down and repolish the entire surface which was a much bigger job than we wanted. Andrew talked me through the repair process for the surface, and outlined the pro's and con's of the different repair methods. He sent me through a quote for repairing just the damaged corner, and did a fabulous job of it - a barely noticeable difference between the old and new surface. He also spoke with our landlady and explained the process to her. We are hugely grateful to Andrew and would recommend him to anyone!

Highly professional, great workmanship Andy carried out a tricky job renovating some dining room chairs which required stripping, sanding re-polishing and even making some new seat bases to match. Work was done beautifully for competitive price and within quite a time frame. Highly professional and delightful to deal with.

Andy repaired a damaged wooden floor for us, and the result is perfect. We will use his company again.

I found Andy to be helpful, informative, and honest. He set my expectations appropriately, kept me advised of changes to the scope of the job, and delivered in a timely manner. The spray finish is of a high caliber and a lovely colour. I will most certainly give him repeat business.

We have had a dark brown dining table for 20 years that my wife bought second-hand -one of those tables made in the 1940-s (?) by the million with pull-out leaf extensions. My wife had further "improved" it by spraying it one day with oven cleaner instead of Pledge , and despite a wobble creeping in to the table, she now wanted the table restored to something of its original state. Mr Stonebridge took it away , re-glued so no more wobble and repaired and restored the damaged top, looking like new and coated with a hard varnish able to withstand our clumsy family . My wife is very pleased with the table that was returned to us . High quality work, reasonable price and turn-round in an agreed time frame. Recommended.

I have a coffee table, in cherrywood, of a petal design that had had far too many cups of coffee on it over the years. The finish had deteriorated very badly, including many rings. Andy inspected it carefully and warned that not all of the rings may come out, although its appearance would certainly be very much improved with treatment. It was returned within the time Andy allowed and was quite perfectly restored (all the rings did come out!) and he charged exactly what we agreed. I’d have no hesitation in using Andy’s services again.

I am passionate about furniture and various types of wood, so it was a real pleasure meeting Andy, who knows his stuff. Having built an extension on my house, I had extended the original handrail from the first to the second landing. The lower handrail is original Victorian, in African mahogany. The new upper section is Sapele (as African mahogany is now protected). Andy did a beautiful job of restoring the lower section and colouring the upper section, before polishing up to make a soft gloss handrail that is a delight to touch. No mess, prompt timing. Great job all round.

My first experience working with Andrew Stonebridge. Great work and a polite and friendly. I would definitely recommend him and use him again. Very happy with the end result. Thank you

We discovered a tired and damaged parquet floor under an ugly old carpet in our recently acquired Edwardian Home. We called the French Polishing and finishing company in to give advice and a quote and were very impressed by their knowledge and friendliness. The job was done efficiently and well, on schedule, with the minimum of disruption. The floor now gleams with the multiple shades of the wood clearly seen when it had been masked beforehand. Areas of missing tiles were cleverly patched in with reclaimed wood. All in all, a lovely floor. We’re very happy with the work and the overall service, all done at a very fair price.

I had a newly laid wooden floor sanded, stained and lacquered by this company and they did a very good job. We wanted the floor to be a very particular colour as we are doing a renovation of a Victorian house and they were very helpful and patient with colour testing the various options for the stain and the finished floor looks beautiful. They were friendly, clean, efficient and professional and we were very pleased with the results.

Top quality work. Very accommodating. We had a number of items refinished, some of which had very fine veneer. Would certainly use again.