OP Woodcraft reviews

3 Jan 21'

Ally Booker reviewed: Contemporary Furniture Refinishing & Upcycling with Woodcare - 2 Day Workshop

"I absolutely loved this course. Ollie is a brilliant teacher, explaining every process in a clear and concise way. The hands-on approach meant that I learnt so much in such a small space of time. The main benefit for me was learning the professional way to do everything. This is so invaluable as I can now push on with my new business venture knowing what I am doing rather than guessing. I finished the course with a beautifully restored bedside table and can't wait to get going on the next piece. Thanks Ollie."

3 Jan 21'

Ally Booker reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"This was an excellent course taught by the wonderful Ollie. I came to the workshop with zero experience about restoring historical pieces and Ollie packed so much in during that time. He covered every process step by step, explaining it all thoroughly whilst ensuring we had a go at everything. I left the course with a beautifully restored family heirloom that the family are delighted with. I'm feeling really excited about restoring my next piece of furniture using all these traditional techniques (along with Ollie's special Trade secrets too!). Thanks Ollie."

3 Jan 21'

Ally Booker reviewed: Mid Century Modern Refinishing & Restoration Workshop - All levels - 3 days

"This was a brilliant course, run by a brilliant teacher, Ollie. The content we covered in three days was extensive with Ollie on hand the whole time providing thorough, informative information at all times. I've finished the course with a wealth of professional knowledge - without this course, it would have taken me so much longer to complete a piece of furniture. That time saving itself is worth its weight in gold! I now have loads of confidence to go it alone and push my business forward - thank you Ollie."

29 Dec 20'

Fabrice reviewed: Mid Century Modern Refinishing & Restoration Workshop - All levels - 3 days

"A great course with a hands-on approach. Lots of learning backed by practice."

15 Dec 20'

Mike Rust reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Very enjoyable two days in the Cotswolds! I arrived with a really old, well used, badly treated side table, and left with a lovely piece of furniture, restored and French polished by myself - a new skill I intend to make full use of in future. Great learning experience delivered by Ollie who has a knack of explaining quite complicated "stuff" in a way I could quickly understand. Looking forward to my next restoration project with OP Woodcraft!"

5 Nov 20'

Rowen Albert Spruce-Sewell reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"I really enjoyed the 2 day course for beginners. Oliver is very knowledgable, friendly and a good teacher. I would recommend this course for anyone as a starting point or just for interest."

23 Oct 20'

Adam Stewart reviewed: 2 Week - Professional Furniture Refinishing Masterclass - Traditional & Contemporary

"I have recently completed both the Contemporary Furniture and Woodcare and French Polishing courses at OP Woodcraft. I have learned how to finish and refurbish old, new and damaged furniture using a variety of techniques including oiling, staining, french polishing, painting and more, bringing it back to life. I found the courses enjoyable and informative and they are well delivered by Oliver with clear explanations and demonstrations. Oliver provides course notes and is very helpful in answering any questions you have post course. I would recommend these courses for pleasure or business, they provide you with skills for life and the enjoyment of creation. Oliver has provided me the confidence in my skills to develop my own workshop and begin my own business going forward. I have gone on to complete the professional course with Oliver which provided me with further knowledge and skills to enable me to progress my business."

20 Oct 20'

Dominique Corlett reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"I did the two day French polishing course with Oli and really enjoyed it. Everything was really well organised with all of the equipment we needed to hand (along with hand sanitiser and socially-distanced work spaces) and Oli explained everything really clearly. He struck a good balance between showing us the process and leaving us to get on with it and steered things so we all got to the point of leaving with a finished project. His teaching style gave me a lot of confidence, even though this was completely new to me and I was amazed at what I achieved in two days. It was stretching but very satisfying and a lot of fun."

20 Oct 20'

Carolyn reviewed: 2 Week - Professional Furniture Refinishing Masterclass - Traditional & Contemporary

"I've recently completed the two week Professional Furniture Refinishing Masterclass with Ollie at OP Woodcraft. Ollie has been absolutely fantastic in passing on his knowledge, showing me his skills and teaching me about different techniques and wood finishes. I was impressed with how much I achieved during my ten days with Ollie, I really didn't expect to get so much done! Altogether I worked on eight pieces that were refinished in various ways such as French polishing, waxing and oiling, and I've also learnt various techniques such as stripping, hole filling, grain filling, staining, sealing, cutting back, mopping, touching in and rubbering. Ollie's been incredibly patient with all of my questions, he's given me valuable advice about setting up my own wood care business and also about the different products and tools required for the trade. I can't thank him enough! Without a doubt I can highly recommend doing a course with OP Woodcraft. Thank you Ollie!"

16 Oct 20'

Eamonn Woods reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"I have just complete the 2 day French polishing course. I was a bit nervous beforehand but no need to be. Ollie was really patient and walked us through the processes step by step. Came away feeling as it I’d achieved something worthwhile. Would highly recommend"

24 Sep 20'

Carolyn reviewed: 5 Day Professional Furniture Refinishing Workshop - Traditional & Contemporary

"I've recently completed my second 5 day Professional French Polishing & Contemporary Woodcare Workshop with Ollie at OP Woodcraft. Ollie has been absolutely fantastic in passing on his knowledge, showing me his skills and teaching me about different techniques and wood finishes. I was impressed with how much I achieved during my ten days with Ollie, I really didn't expect to get so much done!. Altogether I worked on eight pieces that were refinished in various ways such as French polishing, waxing and oiling, and I've also learnt various techniques such as stripping, hole filling, grain filling, staining, sealing, cutting back, mopping, touching in and rubbering. Ollie's been incredibly patient with all of my questions, he's given me valuable advice about setting up my own wood care business and also about the different products and tools required for the trade. I can't thank him enough! Without a doubt I can highly recommend doing a course with OP Woodcraft. Thank you Ollie!"

16 Sep 20'

Hannah reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"This was an excellent course. I am a complete beginner but feel like I have come away with some really useful knowledge of how to start refinishing some bits of furniture! I was able to complete a small coffee table during the one day course and am so pleased with the result! Ollie was very patient and so knowledgeable. I really recommend this course!"

6 Sep 20'

Ritchie Kelk reviewed: 5 Day Professional Furniture Refinishing Workshop - Traditional & Contemporary

"Had a great 5 days attending the French polishing course with Ollie. The course focuses on different wood finishes with a view to re invigorate old furniture and bringing them back to life. Ollie's knowledge was exceptional, and his approach meant that the course was relaxed and enjoyable. Information supplied with the course was very good and with 3 different pieces to work on various different finishings were discussed and Ollie's experience in the subject meant that he had answers to any problem that was presented. A very good course well worth attending if you are interested in keeping old furniture alive."

27 Aug 20'

Jennifer Hudson reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"An extremely worthwhile and enjoyable one-day course, working at your own pace. Having dabbled in ‘up-cycling’ either out of necessity or hobby from a DIY perspective, French polishing is the one area that has always eluded me. Ollie comprehensively but gently guided us through a step by step process from stripping, standing and repairing to get the piece properly prepared, very important as this stage was for that all-important French polishing. The whole process, and learning how to apply the French polish was extremely rewarding and the end result is now something I can confidently use on my own projects. I would thoroughly recommend Ollie and this course to anyone. My only suggestion is, don’t be too ambitious and take along something small that you can complete in a day."

22 Aug 20'

Sarah Whatman reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course and was really pleased with what I achieved and learnt over the two days. Ollie is a patient instructor and gave lots of handy hints and advice while I was restoring a bistro chair. Even though I am a complete novice, I found it easy to follow the different steps and am now keen to apply what I learnt to another small project. Thank you Ollie for an enjoyable couple of days!"

14 Aug 20'

Mel Evans reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Having completed the French Polishing course this week at OP Woodcraft, I can say that it was a fantastic learning curve. Ollie is an incredibly patient and knowledgeable teacher and because of this I feel I achieved far more than I could ever have expected. I now feel confident to use the skills I have learned during this French Polishing course in the future and can’t wait to get cracking!!! Can’t recommend highly enough! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

14 Aug 20'

Mel Evans reviewed: Contemporary Furniture Refinishing & Upcycling with Woodcare - 2 Day Workshop

"If I could leave more ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘S I would! An amazing course. With Ollie’s patient tuition I managed to learn so much, the outcome being I’ve more confidence in taking on more challenging projects in the future. Despite the 30+ degree heat the paint finish was beautiful and flat and even without brushstrokes (not something I’ve ever managed before). An all round great course, I would strongly recommend it to anyone!"

7 Aug 20'

Mary reviewed: Contemporary Furniture Refinishing & Upcycling with Woodcare - 2 Day Workshop

"Absolutely loved this course. Oliver was a very patient and helpful teacher. I picked up so many tips and it was great to have someone close at hand to answer questions and give advice as we worked. The time went really quickly and I came away feeling much more confident to continue working on further projects. Highly recommended."

6 Jul 20'

Ben Frost reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"My measure of any good training course is that you feel inspire to put in practice what you have learnt. I have. I've purchased the materials and found some old furniture to practice on. Over the 2 day course Oli paced the work so that I completed more than I thought I was capable of achieving. It's quite a skill to master the shellac application but the results are wonderful. Thanks Oli for your patience and advice."

3 Jul 20'

Joel Warburton reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Fantastic course by Ollie. For me, it ticked all the boxes. Ollie is extremely knowledgable but also patient and thorough with great attention to detail. Just the sort of instructor you need on these type of courses. He is also very open and happy to share commercial advice if you are interested in making this a job/paid hobby. It was also productive, Ollie tailored the day to ensure I got my piece of furniture finished and whilst learning so much along the way. I was still learning right up until the last minute of the course, and it continues, as I have just been sent a set of comprehensive notes. On top of all that it was fun and chatting with Ollie and the other student Ben made it a great day. You can tell Ollie works hard to make his training a success and it absolutely delivers. Highly recommended."

2 Apr 20'

Adam Stewart reviewed: 5 Day Professional Furniture Refinishing Workshop - Traditional & Contemporary

27 Mar 20'

Nancy Buxton reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"I arrived on the first day of this course with absolutely no knowledge or experience whatsoever in woodcare and French polishing. Oli was extremely patient with my many questions and taught the process in a very easy-to-understand way, ensuring that everyone in the group was looked after well. The environment was relaxed and fun and Ollie's enthusiasm is infectious, which made the course all the more enjoyable. I've come away keen to continue bringing unloved items back to their former glory. The piece that I brought with me was stunning by the end of the two days. Thank you Ollie!"

21 Mar 20'

Tony Baker reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Having travelled from north London to attend this course it was always going to be a gamble that it would live up to the previous reviews and be worth the cost. It was, I learned what I needed to carry on my hobby of furniture restoration and very useful tips on what supplies were needed and how to apply them. Oliver is very good at teaching in a relax informal way and I would highly recommend this course to anyone that wants to learn some of the ways of French polishing."

10 Mar 20'

Chris Horwood reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"My husband and I attended a one day course in French polishing with Ollie in early March. We had a wonderful day and found Ollie very knowledgable and a highly skilled trainer in the subject. He was happy to spend his time explaining and demonstrating the process, also helping with my project where needed. I had never done anything like this before and learnt so much, taking back home a table that before had looked very sad and had seen better days to something I was really proud of. I would definitely recommend this course however I would suggest a 2 day to fully appreciate the process. My husband like myself enjoyed the course and is planning to use the skills learnt to bring back to life other furnishings in our home. Thank you Ollie for a wonderful day."

5 Mar 20'

stephen patten reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"A quite exceptional day actually started some weeks earlier with receipt of comprehensive course notes and overview of materials which provided an invaluable background for my day with Ollie and which will serve as my bible and guide in the future. I entered Ollie's workshop with a jaded but precious piece of family furniture and bags of enthusiasm. I left at the end of the day with a beautifully finished piece, with a depth of colour, lustre and professional finish which would grace any home and of which i am extremely proud. Listening to, working alongside and watching Ollie was a privilege, and it reflects positively on him that i returned home ready and confident to undertake more ambitious projects. Ollie taught me a lot in a very short space of time, not just the basic techniques and process (which were invaluable) but the thirst to discover more, to experiment and to push forward. Sure i will make mistakes and, probably, have some bad ideas but with the knowledge i got from Ollie i know i will be able to fix the cock-ups. If you are thinking of attending this course, do it. If you are not thinking of attending, still do it! You will learn something of huge value from a great teacher."