Shellac Finish / Sanding Question Red Oak

[travis howe]

I've got the first coat of Bulls Eye Shellac on my wife's desk. It looks pretty good/even, though there are some "shiney" spots. I had planned to do a full light 220 grit sand, recoat w/ Shellac 220 grit sand and coat with a high quality lacquer.

Do I want to lightly sand the entire piece or only the shiney / rough spots? Or a ligher grit across the whole piece and 220 on the rough/shiney spots?

It actually turned out better than expected, I was a bit worried about some of the ply but it took well.

Thanks all,

Cheers!

Travis

[Prashun Patel]

You want to use the same grit across the whole piece. I go for feel - not sheen. 220 might be too aggressive. I like 320 or even 400. You're just trying to knock down nibs and roughness.

[Casey Gooding]

Did you stain this piece??
Why so many coats of shellac??
Realistically, the more undercoats, the less strength you'll have in your top coats of lacquer.
I agree that 220 might be too rough. I tend to use 180-220 on the first coat or two then switch to 320-400 after that.

[travis howe]

So I used clear bulls eye shallac that is a golden tint, so the "staining" is just right to match existing trim and bookcases.

I was only thinking about another coat of shellac to ensure the staining piece of the shellac is even...however, maybe I'm better off with a light sanding now to even out the shellac and then a few coats of lacquer?

[Prashun Patel]

Um, you shouldn't put the lacquer over Bullseye. Bullseye has wax in it.

You have a couple options:

1) Continue on with shellac and let that be your topcoat; forget the lacquer.

2) Use an oil varnish topcoat. Most say polyurethane is a bad choice on waxed shellac. You're safer with an alkyd or even spar varnish. If you thin it with mineral spirits - like 75/25 x 3ish coats wiped on. You'll get some durability over shellac without building a glassy surface too much.

3) If you want lacquer, then switch to Zinsser Sealcoat. You can get it at the same place you got yr Bullseye. It also has a very slight amber cast. Sand the bullseye with 220 back till most of it's off. With other finishes you can put the SCoat right on top, but the SCoat will redissolve a shellac 'undercoat'; it doesn't build in layers as varnish finishes do. So, without sanding, you risk leaving traces of the wax in the coat which wouldn't be a problem for most finishes ---- except lacquer.

[travis howe]

Shawn, thank you so much! I suspect you saved me a lot of agony.

I will say that the shellac matches very well, just needs a little more sheen. I suspect that a light sanding and another coat of shellac may do it for me.

Thanks again!

[Howard Acheson]

>> Um, you shouldn't put the lacquer over Bullseye. Bullseye has wax in it.

Lacquer is not a problem over shellac containing its natural wax. Dewaxed shellac is only required if one plans to overcoat it with an oil based poly varnish or any waterborne finish. Non-poly varnishes and solvent based lacquer are perfectly happy over standard shellac.

[Prashun Patel]

>> Um, you shouldn't put the lacquer over Bullseye. Bullseye has wax in it.

Lacquer is not a problem over shellac containing its natural wax. Dewaxed shellac is only required if one plans to overcoat it with an oil based poly varnish or any waterborne finish. Non-poly varnishes and solvent based lacquer are perfectly happy over standard shellac.

I stand corrected. I had problems with lacquer over a surface that had not been completely cleaned of oil. But apparently the wax in shellac is a different animal.

[Byron Trantham]

Shawn, thank you so much! I suspect you saved me a lot of agony.

I will say that the shellac matches very well, just needs a little more sheen. I suspect that a light sanding and another coat of shellac may do it for me.

Thanks again!

Travis,
Don't worry about sheen with the shellac just smoothness. No matter whether its shiny or flat the final top coat dictates the end product sheen. Also, don't use 220 on any surface that has a finish on it like shellac or lacquer. The only reason to sand in the first place [at this point] is remove any residual nibs or roughness.

[Neal Clayton]

You want to use the same grit across the whole piece. I go for feel - not sheen. 220 might be too aggressive. I like 320 or even 400. You're just trying to knock down nibs and roughness.

shawn has it, if you're going to put a lacquer/varnish on top you want it to feel even, not look even. it very well may look like crap. but the top coat will even it.

i personally just use steel wool rather than sandpaper, you can go a bit lighter that way and not have to worry about removing the shellac entirely by accident.

[Anthony Fields]

We used to use Steel Wool very fine grade. Wipe clean (make sure) then recoat as needed.