HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

How to hire a furniture polisher in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to French polishers. Ask about conserving the original finish, solvents under COSHH, and any ivory inlay.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a furniture polisher in five steps

  1. Have the piece seenA refresh or a full strip is decided by looking.
  2. Valuable? ConserveAsk for the original finish to be kept where possible.
  3. In your home? VentilateSolvents and shellac need air.
  4. Ivory inlay?Dealing in it later needs an exemption under the Ivory Act 2018.
  5. Agree hardening timeHow long before it can be used.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nothing licenses French polishers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so the quality of French polishing lies in the preparation and the materials, which a cheap quote tends to leave out. The original finish is often part of a piece's value.

Ask for a written scope of the French polishing: preparation, materials and finish, item by item.

Solvents and COSHH

HSE's COSHH rules on hazardous substances apply to self-employed people who take hazardous products onto other people's premises. The solvents, lacquers and strippers used in French polishing are that kind of product.

Ask what products the French polishing uses, and how the room will be ventilated. hse.gov.uk →

Ivory and the Ivory Act 2018

According to gov.uk, buying, selling or hiring out anything with ivory in it requires an exemption first. Restoring a piece with ivory inlay does not change that, so keep a record of it.

If the piece has ivory, ask the polisher to note it on the invoice. gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

No law requires a furniture polisher to carry insurance, but paint on a carpet or a damaged piece is the routine claim. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you French polishing done with reasonable care and skill; cover is what pays when it is not.

Ask the furniture polisher for the insurer and the cover limit before the French polishing begins.

VAT

French polishing is standard-rated at 20% when the polisher is registered, for a spot repair or a full strip and re-polish. Registration is compulsory above £90,000 of taxable turnover, and a registered firm has to charge it and itemise it rather than fold it into the price.

Ask the polisher for a VAT number; a sole polisher under the threshold should add none. gov.uk →

“Will the French polishing keep or strip the original finish?”

A good answer: A reasoned choice after seeing the piece.

“Can you match the colour to the old patina?”

A good answer: Yes, with trials on a hidden area.

“How will you repair water rings and burns?”

A good answer: Filled, coloured and blended before polishing.

“Workshop or in my home?”

A good answer: A stated choice, with ventilation if at home.

“How long before I can use it?”

A good answer: A hardening time in days.

“Is the piece insured while with you?”

A good answer: Public liability and cover for items in their care.

Getting the quote right

  • Spot repair or full re-polish
  • Stripping, if any
  • Repairs to marks and veneer
  • Collection and delivery
  • Who actually attends to the polishing — the polisher you met, or a subcontracted workshop
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% as its own figure

Walk away if

  • Strips a valuable antique without asking
  • No trial of the colour
  • Works with solvents in a closed room
  • No insurance for the piece
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£800

What a furniture polisher costs: £200–£800 per item

French polishing is priced per item by size, condition and whether it is stripped. French Polishing price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Furniture polishers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. AssessFinish and damage checked.
  2. Clean or stripOld polish cleaned or removed.
  3. RepairMarks filled and coloured.
  4. Build upShellac applied in many thin coats.
  5. FinishBurnished and left to harden.

Shellac
A natural resin dissolved in spirit, the basis of French polish.
Rubber
The pad used to apply shellac.
Patina
The aged surface of old furniture.
Bodying up
Building the polish in layers.
Spiriting off
Removing oil and smearing in the final stage.
Ivory Act 2018
The law restricting dealing in ivory items.

AFTER

When the job is done

Leave it to hardenNo hot cups or water for the stated time.
Get care adviceHow to clean and wax.
Keep the invoiceWith notes of what was done.
Say how it wentYour rating of the French polishing sits on the furniture polisher's Locufy profile for others to read. Something wrong? Use make-it-right first and we follow it through.

STEP 1Go back to the furniture polisherGive the furniture polisher a clear written account and a fair deadline. The law treats the French polishing as a service that had to be done with reasonable care and skill, and where it was not, the trader must redo it at their expense or refund part of what you paid.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepA score under four stars opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the furniture polisher gets the chance to put the French polishing right first, and we chase it to an end before you publish.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesFor advice about the French polishing, or to have the complaint passed to Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedTo get money back for the French polishing, the small claims limits are £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland; court fees start at £35 in England and Wales and £23 in Scotland.

Hiring a furniture polisher: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies.

Selling, buying or hiring out an item containing ivory needs an exemption under the Ivory Act 2018.

Stripping can; ask for the original finish to be conserved.

£200–£800 per item, about £400 typical. There is more in the French polishing price guide; enter a town above to see polishers who work there.

Ask; check your home insurance too.

A day for a spot repair; one to three weeks for a full re-polish.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: Furniture RestorationHow to hire: Antique RestorationHow to hire: Upholstery RepairHow to hire: Painter & DecoratorHow to hire: Spray PaintingHow to hire: Sealant & CaulkingHow to hire: HandymanHow to hire: Odd JobsAll 701 hiring guides →

Furniture polishers near you

Furniture polishers in LondonFurniture polishers in ManchesterFurniture polishers in BirminghamFurniture polishers in GlasgowFurniture polishers in BelfastAll furniture polishers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — does COSHH apply to the self-employed?
  2. gov.uk — dealing in items made of or containing ivory
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  5. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  6. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register