I spray the drawers for a vanity first with a coat of Sealcoat shellac to prevent grain raising and then 2 coats of EnduroVar which looks good and has great chemical durability.
John
Contributor
I spray the drawers for a vanity first with a coat of Sealcoat shellac to prevent grain raising and then 2 coats of EnduroVar which looks good and has great chemical durability.
John
Member
Exactly! Not only that, it's not a consistent humidity as it varies throughout the day & daily working the wood.Originally Posted by Cary Falk
Last edited by Al Launier; 02-04-2018 at 11:11 AM.
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The fragility of shellac has been over stated by sellers of newer products for a long time. So much so that I think some of the smart modern finish guys don't really know much about it. It may be that it is not as good as some modern products but shellac that is freshly mixed will not be ruined by splashes of water. Shellac was used as an ingredient in coatings for wooden military boats beyond WW2. One advantage of using it in drawers is that once dry it will not retain odor. You don't want a bathroom that brings nausea to a pregnant woman.
Contributor
Jim, Mel, maybe you're right about shellac not being as fragile as I imagine, but I used a fresh can of dewaxed 2# shellac on an ironing board cabinet I built (where a steam iron "lives"), and drips of water from the iron have left obvious defects in the shellac - basically looks like I dropped alcohol all over it. Totally ruined the finish. I like shellac a lot for a first coat, but I'll never again rely on it for a top coat.
Here's a pic of the result. Maybe I did something wrong (I'm very green when it comes to finishing). But to the OP's question, it seems like many water-based products would be equal to (or superior to) shellac in terms of most every metric (ease of application, durability, cost, drying time, etc)
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Last edited by Dan Friedrichs; 02-04-2018 at 8:17 PM.
Contributor
My experience is about the same. Shellac has it's place, but it's not in the league of varnish or modern finishes for resistance to liquids. If it were none of those finishes would have been needed to be developed. Waterbornes have no odor after curing, same as shellac.
John
Moderator
Shellac or water base.
[OP]
Member
A lot of great information here, thanks guys!
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