There are of course many different ways to finish wood, we choose traditional techniques over the majority of new finishes available, not merely for nostalgic reasons but rather to maintain what are unquestionably the best and most effective ways of achieving a great wood finish. These techniques have taken hundreds of years to perfect and when compared to new ones are shown to be far superior.

Many of the wood finishes we see today are sprayed on a factory production line or applied by workers who are unskilled in this sort of work, for instance, the woodwork found in buildings (doors, architraves, skirting, etc...) is often finished by operatives who will simply apply a coat or two of varnish. These finishes tend to be overbearingly glossy, with a treacle type look or, when sprayed, are completely void of any life or character. The techniques we use expose the true beauty of the wood rather than hide it behind the finish. They are also long lasting; unlike many of the modern finishes which often start to chip and flake after just a short while.

In addition to the techniques, the materials we generally use can't be found in the average DIY store, these are specialised products, which sometimes require us to make them from scratch using the raw materials.

Finishing wood is a project in itself. To fill the grain of the wood fully, colour correctly and achieve a truly professional finish is an art that requires far more than a few coats of DIY product. To apply a long lasting, professional French Polish finish to a door, for example, can take days to build up the many layers of polish and to colour it correctly.

But are traditional techniques limited to finishing traditional pieces?