Furniture restoration and French polishing in South East England
The piece you have been meaning to sort out for years, put right by somebody who does this for a living. 65 furniture restorers and French polishers across South East England.
65 furniture restorers across South East England. Pick your county: each row opens with five from that county, the ones you can reach and that say most about their own work, and the link beside it shows everybody there. Nobody can pay to be in a row.
Furniture restoration in Kent
See all 13 in KentFurniture restoration in Surrey
See all 11 in SurreyFurniture restoration in Buckinghamshire
See all 9 in BuckinghamshireFurniture restoration in Hampshire
See all 9 in HampshireFurniture restoration in East Sussex
See all 7 in East SussexFurniture restoration in Oxfordshire
See all 6 in OxfordshireFurniture restoration in West Sussex
See all 5 in West SussexFurniture restoration in Berkshire
See all 4 in BerkshireElsewhere in South East England
Questions people ask about South East England
How many furniture restorers are there in South East England?
65, of which 46 have their own website. Every one names the work it does rather than just calling itself a restorer, which is the bar for appearing here at all.
Who does French polishing in South East England?
61 of the 65 restorers we list in South East England name French polishing as part of what they do. It is the traditional shellac finish used on Georgian and Victorian furniture, and it is repair work as much as finishing: reviving a tired surface rather than stripping it back. The same firms often name french polishing and period specialism too. We take no fee and no commission from any of them.
Can I learn restoration in South East England?
There are 112 woodworking courses in South East England on this site. Finishing and repair come up on a good number of them.
Restoration in South East England, in numbers
65 restorers across 30 towns. 61 of them name French polishing, which makes it the common thread here as it is almost everywhere. After that it is antiques (37), spray finishing (12) and gilding (7). Wood turning, floor sanding and marquetry or inlay are scarce here, each offered by three businesses or fewer, so for those jobs expect to send a piece further than you would for a repolish.
45 have their own website, 1 runs a Facebook page instead, and for 19 we hold no site of their own so the link goes to their Google listing. 54 describe their own work in their own words; for the other 11 we are going on the trading name alone, and the listing says so. 2 work from more than one address, listed once rather than once per town.
The towns with the most are Addlestone (3), Sandwich (3), Milton Keynes (3), Horsham (2) and Seaford (2). A further 17 towns have a single restorer each, which is worth knowing if you would rather not put a piece in a van for an hour.
The broadest range of skills we hold in South East England is at Heritage Antique Restoration and French Polishing, which names cane or rush seating, French polishing, gilding, marquetry or inlay, period specialism, spray finishing and veneer repair: a sensible first call if your piece needs more than one thing doing to it.
Heritage Antique Restoration and French Polishing, Christy Antiques Restoration in Sandwich and JM French Polishing Surrey in Tadworth each describe their work in their own words. 8 businesses here name four or more separate techniques, which usually means a workshop rather than one person with a polishing kit.
South East England holds 20% of the restorers we list nationally. That is a large share, and it means real choice: worth getting two or three quotes rather than taking the first.
What it costs, whether it is worth restoring, and the mistakes that cannot be undone.