It’s a lengthy and repetitive process, and the results show. “French polishing” is a technique that involves applying many thin coats of shellac dissolved in alcohol to fine woods with a rubbing pad, resulting in a very high glossed, deeply coloured and tough surface. 

The amount of labour required put the process out of vogue decades ago, but not at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, where French polisher Alan Sherwood keeps surfaces shining. He’s one of 29 in-house tradesmen, each with a unique skill set, who keep the Hotel as sparkling as the day it opened in 1982.

In addition to attending to the Hotel’s public areas and ongoing repairs, Sherwood is a key part of an annual cycle that puts each floor out of service for a week for major cleaning. That’s when he applies his keen attention to detail – not to mention patience and stamina – to the wood in each guest room at Four Seasons.