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French polisher

French polishers use traditional skills to treat wood and restore furniture and items like staircases, doors and musical instruments.

Potential salary
£13,000 to £30,000
Working hours
42 to 44 a week
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • persistence and determination
  • the ability to work on your own
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
  • concentration skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Your day-to-day duties could include:

  • deciding on the type and colour of wood stain to use
  • mixing and applying the stain
  • applying french polish and other finishes, like lacquer, paint, varnish, oil or wax
  • repairing furniture

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work in a workshop or in a factory.

With experience, you could progress to supervisor or manager.

You could start your own business.

You can find out more about becoming a french polisher from The Guild of Master Craftsmen.

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