How long to let shellac barrier coat dry before staining?

[Adam Way]

I am building a table from SPF that will be dyed, then stained. My plan is to use pre-stain conditioner, dye stain, then shellac, a gel stain and finish. I'm going to apply 2 coats of the shellac (SealCoat). The can says 10 minutes dry to the touch and 45 minutes before recoating, but doesn't mention actual dry time before the next finish. How long should I allow the shellac to dry before proceeding to the gel stain?

[Frederick Skelly]

I'd let it dry 24hrs before putting anything different on top of it.

I don't recognize the term "dye stain" - is that just regular old stain, or something different Adam?

[Adam Way]

I am using a ready-to-use General Finishes product that is water based and is pre-mixed with (what I assume is) analine dye. Although it is water based, it is designed to not raise the grain (NGR/non-grain raising) so you don't have to pre-raise grain. On the downside, while it is available in 17 colors but would probably be much more difficult to mix colors than powdered or concentrated dyes.

See https://generalfinishes.com/retail-p...sed-dye-stains

I am using it to develop some depth to the finish by tinting the (very bland) SPF a medium reddish brown before stain. The shellac is to seal the dye so that it is kept separate and doesn't mix with the gel stain to create a single color.

[Andy Giddings]

I would use the GF WB Wood Stain rather than a dye stain if your goal is a deep color. It's easier to use than the WB Dye (doesn't dry so quickly) and puts down a deeper and more even stain overall with one application. Doesn't require a conditioner either. I found with dye on light wood, I had to use a couple of coats and getting a consistent color was tricky