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French polishing is done in three stages with a rubber of cotton wool wrapped in cotton: bodying-in along the grain to fill the pores, bodying-up in circles with a drop of raw linseed oil, spiriting-off with alcohol alone for the mirror gloss. The wood is sanded to at least 180 grit, in a warm, dry workshop. Button Polish for oak, French Polish for mahogany and walnut, Garnet Polish for dark woods, Superfine White or Special Pale for pale ones. By brush, 2 to 5 coats of 2000 Pale Shellac Sealer. Scratches repair with no join: new coats melt into the old.
Page updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France woodcare specialists
What it is
Shellac is a natural resin dissolved in alcohol. Laid on with a rubber in very thin coats that evaporate fast, it builds a film with a depth of gloss no synthetic lacquer reproduces: warm and transparent. It is the finish of antique furniture, and the Mylands recipes date from 1884.
It has two demands and one rare quality. The demands: the highest level of preparation, and a warm, bone-dry workshop, because humidity clouds shellac. The quality: it is completely repairable. A scratch, a ring, a worn patch are taken up with a new coat that melts into the old one, with no visible join. It stays sensitive to heat and alcohol: coasters, always. The whole family: Mylands shellac polishes.
The method
The rubber reveals everything: sand grit by grit along the grain, to 180 at least, and dust off thoroughly. Humidity clouds shellac. The full preparation: Wood finishes preparation.
The polish has its own colour, but if the wood needs to be darker or more even, colour it before: Mylands Earth Stain, Nitrostain or water stain, fully dry. See How to stain wooden furniture.
A ball of cotton wool wrapped in a lint-free cotton cloth, drawn tight into a pear shape. Charge the wool with polish, close the cloth: the polish should seep through, never run.
The first coats go on in straight passes along the grain, to fill the pores and seal the wood. The rubber never stops on the surface: you land and take off in flight.
Build the film in circular motions then figures of eight, recharging the rubber as it dries. A drop of raw linseed oil on the cloth acts as a lubricant and stops the rubber dragging. Let it harden between sessions.
With a clean rubber dampened only with methylated spirit, almost dry, go over in long straight passes: the spirit lifts the oil and smooths the marks of the rubber. This is where the mirror gloss appears.
For a traditional antique look, scuff the surface with fine wire wool two days after the last coat. Otherwise, leave the mirror. Then coasters and a dry microfibre cloth.
Which polish
All go on the same way. What changes is the colour of the film — from an almost colourless white to garnet — and its hardness.
01
A mahogany chest of drawers polished with French Polish, a rich medium brown: the warm, dark film deepens the red of the wood and gives the transparency modern lacquers do not reproduce. The classic polish for dark woods, walnut and dark oak included.
02
Close to French Polish but with a slightly warmer patina, Button Polish gives a lighter colour on oak: an oak table top takes on a luminous golden honey instead of going brown. The polish to choose when the oak should stay legible under the gloss.
03
The darkest in the range, in a 1 litre bottle, without the warm glow of Button Polish: a rather cold colour, made for woods that are already dark. On a dark walnut bureau, it evens up without reddening.
04
Hazy in the bottle, it dries to a clear film: the polish for pale timbers — oak, beech, maple, ash, sycamore — for a high gloss that does not yellow them. Its film is softer than the other polishes: not on a table top.
05
The classic pale polish for light timbers when the surface has to work: it suits antique table tops, where Superfine White would be too soft. On a period pale oak table, it gives back the original gloss without darkening the wood.
06
A pale, medium-viscosity sealer that is easy to apply: with the rubber as a base under a traditional polish on a pale wood, or with a very fine brush, 2 to 5 coats, for anyone who does not want to learn the rubber.
The choice
| Polish | Colour of the film | For | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Polish | Rich, warm medium brown | Walnut, oak, mahogany | The classic for dark woods |
| Button Polish | Medium brown, warmer patina | Oak above all, walnut, mahogany | Lighter on oak than French Polish |
| Garnet Polish | The darkest, rather cold | Dark woods | 1 litre bottle |
| Superfine White Polish | Clear, high gloss | Oak, beech, maple, ash, sycamore | Softer film: not on a table top |
| Special Pale Polish | Pale | Light timbers, antique table tops | The pale one that takes a table top |
| 2000 Pale Shellac Sealer Basecoat | Pale | Base under a polish; by brush in 2 to 5 coats | The sealer for pale woods |
| Black Polish · Red Polish | Strong black · strong red | Tinting the other polishes | Tinters, not finishes on their own |
To adjust the sheen afterwards, see Matt, satin or gloss on wood.
To avoid
Frequently asked
With the rubber you do not count coats but sessions: each pass lays down the thinnest of films, and the body is built over several sessions, hardening between them. By brush, with 2000 Pale Shellac Sealer, allow 2 to 5 coats as required.
Yes: 2000 Pale Shellac Sealer goes on with a zorino mop, a very fine brush or a paint brush, in 2 to 5 coats.
This is the great quality of shellac: a new coat melts into the old one and the scratch disappears with no join. A white ring is first treated with Furniture Cleaner and Reviver, which removes most white marks. See Scratches, white rings and water marks.
Mylands Earth Stain, Nitrostain or water stain, applied first and fully dry; most stains can go before 2000 Pale Shellac Sealer. The polish itself brings its colour.
Dust with a soft, dry microfibre cloth, use coasters, keep heat and alcohol off it, no aerosols. When the film dulls, a session with the rubber revives it: this finish is taken up again, not stripped.
See also
“The rubber does not lay a varnish on the wood: it brings the wood up into the varnish.”
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