After you charge the finishing pad and it is ready to be used, you can start the french polishing; finally!

Dulux Woodsheen 250ml French Oak [Misc.] by Dulux Dulux Woodsheen 250ml French Oak [Misc.] by Dulux

Once you are ready to apply you could take a look at a varnish for durability the Manns Extra Tough Interior Varnish is a great option, two coats of this will give a well protected and easy to clean surface. It will darken very slightly and sample sizes are available, which I would recommend for test areas first and to decide which sheen level you might want to consider. In terms of a tough, durable varnish that is suitable for both interior and exterior wood and contains UV filters, consider Polyvine Heavy Duty Extreme Varnish. This water-based polyurethane varnish is extremely tough and durable and is available in a dead-flat and satin finish. After every 4 or 5 applications the work should be left to harden for a couple of hours before applying further coats. We recommend lightly rubbing the surface down between coats with 320 grit abrasive paper or Ultra Fine Steel Wool (0000) to remove any blemishes.French Polishing requires patience and practice. It should first be tried out on a spare piece of flat wood, with the polishing area in a warm, dust free environment. There are many methods of French polishing and every French polisher has his or her own method which is developed over time. The method described in this leaflet will give you the basic skills to further advance in your own time. So yes, some gentle sanding is the best option, if you try with a 100 grit first to see if that works, if you are looking to remove current finish however you may need to go down to an 80 grit. It is always best to remove previous finishes before applying new ones. This helps to ensure an even all over result, the key to a great finish is always in good preparation. You are right to be cautious for the veneered areas, gentle sanding to avoid going through to the base wood. French Polish is applied using a French polishing rubber. The rubber is made by wrapping a piece of lint free cotton cloth around some cotton wadding or cotton waste. Place a handful of cotton wadding into the centre of the cotton rag, bring in the four corners of the way and then twist to form a pear shaped pad, ensuring that the base of the pad is flat and free from creases or defects as shown. The size of the rubber can vary according to the user or the size of the job to be completed. Your French oak wood flooring is highly cost effective too. Long term, it will prove far less expensive than replacing carpets regularly or repairing lesser quality flooring.

Ronseal Diamond hard French oak Satin Wood varnish, 750ml

You may find that this is what has occurred on your banister and I would think that sanding may be the best way to restore the natural colour of the wood. If the effect has penetrated fairly deeply then a Fiddes Oxalic Acid Crystals may also be worth considering, a test area is strongly advised.French oak flooring is oak originating from France. This very sought-after wood flooring type is popular mostly because of its desirability, which it owes to its reputation. That’s the main reason because it’s either really better or very different from its equivalents originating in the US or Russia. Once the doors have been sanded, they can be re-finished with either a wood oil or varnish that contains UV filters or stabilisers. This will help to protect the wood and will slow down the colour bleaching process caused by the suns UV rays, a little like suntan cream.

Decent stain to get pine close to light oak | Screwfix Decent stain to get pine close to light oak | Screwfix

Oak (or quercus as it is known in Latin) is a hardwood with some 400 known species. It has always been a popular wood in The UK, but in recent times it is even more widely used in construction and also as internal fixtures in clubs and gyms etc. For furniture construction, oak has become ever more the wood of choice, a trend expanding year on year since the year 2000 when China, India and Indonesia substantially increased their export markets. Pine has been the wood to suffer from oak’s popularity as it is more widely available in the Far East. When this happens some or all of the oil may have dried in the surface and this will offer little protection and is probably why it is marking so easily. Unfortunately the only way to resolve this will be to remove the current oil and re sand to a 120 – 150 grit, to open up the grain, wipe over with Methylated spirits and re apply the oil. You may be able to remove much of the teak oil by using a clean, white (uncoloured) lint-free or microfibre cloth dampened in white spirit. This will help to dissolve the teak oil and you should be able to wash out and wipe it off. The only other alternative is to sand the teak oil out but you will unfortunately loose the raised grain look that you like. Once most or all of the previous product is gone you are able to sand the wood. How much will depend on the condition of the wood, but as a guide you can start at 80 grit and work up to 120 – 150 grit. You will find the natural colour of the wood is far less orange in appearance and from there you can start to consider your options for a natural finish and Oils are very good for a natural look and feel.Thank you for getting in touch with your enquiry. I can recommend a great product for you to have a look at that will maintain the natural appearance of the wood, Fiddes Hard Wax oil Natural this contains a minute amount of white pigment to counteract the darkening that you get with a standard clear oil. Thank you for getting in touch with your enquiry. I would say your best option will be to treat the cladding before putting up, this way you will be able to apply to both sides of the boards for a better level of protection. A clear preserver will help protect the wood from mould, fungus and rot and with a product such as the Barrettine Cladding Preserver which is ideal for your project.

Ronseal Interior Varnish Satin French Oak - 250ml | Homebase Ronseal Interior Varnish Satin French Oak - 250ml | Homebase

To be authentic, your French oak hardwood flooring planks should reach exacting standards in their composition and cutting. If you’re buying newly produced wood flooring, the original supplier should be a sustainable timber merchant, who understands the growth patterns and timing required to produce high-grade French oak. Before we do the actual polishing, I would like to talk about the finish. The finish itself is a alcohol based finish called 'Shellac'. Shellac is a resin formed from lac bugs in south east Asia. The resin is processed and sold as dry flakes(see picture). There are many different shades of shellac flakes available online. The color varies from gold amber to deep brown caramel. I bought my shellac flakes through this company. Thank you for getting in touch with your enquiry. Whilst Vinegar is good for many things, I would not necessarily recommend it for cleaning wood, although it depends on the type of vinegar you use, as it can react with the wood. You can use it to clean if thinned down or simply add a small amount to warm soapy water if that is what you are using to clean your floor with. Undiluted Vinegar and steel wool are often used to create a treatment that ages the wood, giving a silvered appearance or a natural patina. It comes down to a few simple measures that can protect the integrity and beauty of your wood flooring. This includes using a soft brush to regularly remove any dirt and grit that drags in on feet. Clean the surface of your French oak hardwood flooring with a soft mop too – preferably a microfiber one. Also, no matter how resilient and durable French oak flooring is, it can get damaged if it’s the victim of heavy items dropped from a great height. Sharp objects that drag across it can also produce scratches, including pet claws! Take simple steps to avoid these risks, and your French oak hardwood flooring will continue to be breathtakingly lovely for many years. Let it shine!

Not all French oak is the same

Here comes a really important point! Never use harsh chemicals to clean your floor and apply as little water as possible. There are special hardwood floor cleaners that will be kind and effective for you to use. Avoiding too much moisture settling on your wood floor is clear common sense. You may also want to consider a slightly thinner oil, more suited for hardwoods called Osmo Wood Wax Extra Thin whilst the Polyx Oil can be used for most wood types the Extra Thin can be easier and just as protective to use. For any woodworking project, surface preparation is always important if you want a good finish result. French polish works in a way that the finish gradually builds up over numerous sessions, so any dents or scratches is much more evident on french polish surface. If you want to get an idea of how the wood will look with the ‘clear (420)’, simply dampen a section of the wood with a clean cloth and some water. This gives a fairly good representation of how the wood will look once oiled. The process of surface preparation depends on what the wood is for, and the sheen of finish you're going for. Generally if it is a furniture project, I would sand from low grit to high grit, 'pre-raise' the grain with a damp cloth. Then do another sanding before applying shellac. For open grain wood such as walnut, oak, or ash, sand to 400 grit before french polishing. For closed grain wood such as maple, I would sand it to 600 grit. These number of grits is enough for semi-gloss finish. If you're going for a high gloss finish, sand the piece to 600 or 800 grit. It is important to examine the piece in between different grit to make sure no heavy marks are left from previous sanding.