Wood finished to the grain and sheen you chose, not just coated over.
Doors, windows, wardrobes, staircases and furniture finished in melamine, PU or enamel, with the old coat taken back properly first, because a finish is only as sound as the layer it sits on.
- Free site inspection
- Written, itemised quote
- 1-year workmanship warranty
- Same-day callback
At a glance
What's the difference between melamine, PU and enamel on wood?
Melamine and PU are clear systems that leave the grain visible, while enamel is opaque and covers it completely. PU is a two-part system that cross-links as it cures, so the film resists knocks, cleaning and hand contact better than a melamine or an ordinary enamel coat of the same thickness, which is why it's used on doors, handrails and wardrobe shutters that get handled daily. Which one fits depends on the timber, how much wear the piece takes, and what coat is already on it.
When this is the answer, and when it is not.
Sending you to the wrong service wastes your money and our time. This is how to tell.
This is likely right if
- Teak, veneered or plywood joinery has gone dull, patchy or water-marked, but the wood underneath is sound
- New carpentry has been installed in bare or primed condition and needs a finish specified and applied
- You want to change the look, a darker stain, matt in place of high gloss, or opaque enamel over old polish
- Painted wooden doors and frames where the enamel has yellowed, chipped along the edges or gone soft around handles
Something else comes first if
- The timber is wet, a leaking frame, a bathroom-side door, a wardrobe back against a damp wall. Wood has to be dried and the source traced first, because a film over damp wood traps the moisture and lifts
- There's live borer or termite activity. Fine powder at the joints means pest treatment comes first, otherwise you are polishing a piece that's still being eaten from inside
- The veneer is blistered, lifting or already sanded through, or an MDF edge has swollen from water. That's carpentry or replacement, and no amount of coating will pull it back flat
What the service includes.
Piece-by-piece survey
We identify what each item actually is, solid timber, veneer, plywood or MDF, check moisture in frames and skirting-level joinery, and test what coating is already on it, because that decides whether it can be recoated or has to come off.
Stripping and sanding back
Old wax, spirit polish and failed films taken off, and sound coats sanded to a matt key. A finish bonds to the layer beneath it; over a waxy or oily surface it won't grip, and it will show as patches and fisheyes.
Hardware, masking and dust control
Handles and knobs removed and bagged so the coat runs under them, hinges masked in place, glass, mirror and cane panels masked off, and sanding dust contained and extracted rather than left to settle into the wet film.
Sample on your own wood
Stain shade and sheen tried on the actual piece, not on a showroom board. The same stain reads differently on teak, on a veneer and on a plywood shutter, and sheen is fixed at the final coat.
Grain filling, sealer and finish coats
Open-grained timber filled and sealed so the film sits level instead of sinking into the pores, then coats built up in the agreed system, with the coat count and sheen written into your quotation.
Ventilation, curing and handover
Solvent-based systems worked with cross-ventilation and air moved out of the home, edges and shutter tops finished rather than skipped, hardware refitted, and the piece handed back only once the film has hardened enough to take use.
Not included, or quoted separately
- Carpentry, new joinery, replacing borer-damaged or rotten sections, re-fixing loose joints, re-gluing lifting veneer or re-cutting a door that binds
- Termite and borer treatment, which is pest control work and has to be completed before any finishing starts
- Supply or replacement of hardware, handles, hinges, locks, magnets, channels and soft-close fittings. We refit what was there and tell you what's seized or broken
- Glass, mirror, cane and upholstered panels. These are masked, not coated, and we don't remove or re-bead them
- Refinishing of factory laminate, acrylic or foil-wrapped shutters, which is a re-lamination job rather than a wood-finishing one
The sequence.
Inspection and identification
We list every shutter, panel, frame and edge, identify the substrate, take moisture readings on anything near a wet area, and test the existing coating with solvent and abrasive on a hidden patch.
System and sample approval
We agree clear or opaque, the stain shade and the sheen, and put a sample on the actual piece. You look at it in daylight and under your own lights before we go ahead.
Isolate and protect
Hardware off, glass and cane masked, floors and adjacent walls covered, and the working area separated so sanding dust doesn't travel through the home.
Strip and sand
Back to a sound, keyed surface, the stage that decides whether the finish stays put or peels at the edges. Mouldings, beadings and carved work are hand-sanded, not machined.
Fill, seal and stain
Grain filler where the timber is open-pored, sealer coats sanded between applications, then stain applied evenly so the colour doesn't blotch on end grain and softer patches.
Coat, cure and hand back
Finish coats applied to the agreed count and sheen, edges and shutter tops included, hardware refitted, and a walkthrough with you to close anything outstanding.
What moves the price on this job.
We do not publish a rate, because it would change once someone measured your property. These are the variables that decide it.
- The number of shutters, panels, frames and edges, joinery is measured by its faces, not by the room it stands in
- What has to come off first. A soft spirit polish sands away easily; a hard two-pack PU or a thick built-up enamel needs stripping, and that's the largest labour variable
- Which system you choose, since melamine, PU and enamel take different sealer and coat counts
- Whether the finish is clear or opaque, and whether a stain change means extra sealer coats to stop the old colour bleeding through
- Profiled work, carving, beading, louvres and grooved shutters, which is hand-prepared and takes far longer than flat faces
- Whether pieces are finished in place in an occupied home or can be moved to a workshop for spray application
Wood Painting and Polishing — your questions.
Can you polish over what's already there, or does it all have to come off?
It depends on what's on it. Old wax, spirit polish and silicone-based furniture sprays have to be sanded or stripped back, because a new film won't bond to a waxy or oily layer and will show as patches and fisheyes. A sound melamine or PU can often be matt-sanded and recoated. We test a hidden area at the inspection and tell you which applies.
Can a dark polished door be made lighter?
Only up to a point, and it depends on the substrate. A clear film over stain can be sanded off, but the stain has soaked into the timber and some of it stays. On veneer the usable thickness is under a millimetre, so heavy sanding goes through to the substrate and can't be undone. If you want a definite lighter shade, opaque enamel or a tinted system is the honest route.
Will the smell be a problem while we're living here?
PU and enamel are solvent-based and do carry a smell while they cure, more so in a closed flat. We sequence the work area by area, keep cross-ventilation running, use fans to push air out of the home rather than around it, and schedule the heaviest solvent work for spaces that can be left free. Tell us at the inspection if anyone in the home has asthma or a respiratory condition.
Should the work happen at site or in a workshop?
Fixed joinery, meaning doors, frames, wardrobes, staircases and panelling, is finished in place, with the area masked and dust controlled. Loose furniture can go to a workshop, where spray application and a dust-free drying space give a smoother, more even film than site conditions allow. We'll say which pieces are worth moving and which aren't, and any transport forms part of your quotation.
What happens to the handles, hinges and glass?
Handles and knobs come off and are bagged, so the finish runs cleanly under them instead of stopping at a ring of old polish. Hinges usually stay and are masked in place, because unscrewing a hung shutter risks losing its alignment. Glass, mirror and cane panels are masked rather than coated. If a fitting is seized or already broken we'll show you rather than force it.
Related services
- Door and Window Painting and PolishingDoors and windows carry the hardware, edges and weather exposure that need handling separately.
- Furniture PolishingLoose furniture is usually better finished in a workshop than in your living room.
- Interior Wall PaintingWalls and joinery have to be sequenced together, or one spoils the other.
Let us look at your walls first.
Tell us about the property and we will set up a free colour and wall inspection. You get a written, itemised quotation afterwards, with no obligation to go ahead.
- We call you back the same day to get a picture of the property and the surfaces.
- We agree a time and come out for the free inspection.
- You get the written scope and itemised quotation.
- Nothing starts until you approve it.