Can I put polyurethane over shellac?
max...@cheerful.com
color. Now I have decided I need a glossier finish than the shellac is
providing me, so I'm thinking of covering it with a coat or two of
polyurethane. Would that create a problem?
SteveBell
That should work fine. Shellac is often used as a sealer between coats
of different finishes.
How many coats of shellac did you use? Ten or so is a good number,
since shellac goes on so thin and dries so fast. Look up "French
polishing", then try another ten coats.
--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX
max...@cheerful.com
to have to steel-wool all 4 chairs. Think the second and third coats
(and eighth and ninth) will be smoother and glossier?
SteveBell
> > How many coats of shellac did you use? Ten or so is a good number,
> > since shellac goes on so thin and dries so fast. Look up "French
> > polishing", then try another ten coats.
>
> TEN! I have only one coat so far. It came out very rough so I'm going
> to have to steel-wool all 4 chairs. Think the second and third coats
> (and eighth and ninth) will be smoother and glossier?
Did you brush it on? Don't try to brush it. You can get a thicker coat
with a brush, but it dries so fast you can't make it smooth.
Check out this web site:
http://www.am-wood.com/finishes/french.html
for info on how to do French polishing. FP is the best method I've
found for putting on shellac. I hear spraying works, too, but I've
never tried it.
Free tip:
Don't use steel wool. The steel particles get stuck in tiny holes in
the finish, then rust later on. You can't get them out, even with
compressed air or tack cloths. Use wet/dry sandpaper, cabinet scrapers,
or those colored "scrubby" sandpaper substitutes instead.
max...@cheerful.com
wrote:
Thanks for the steel wool tip. I'll use 400 grit wet-or-dry. I don't
think french polishing would be successful on chairs - too many joints
and the shellac won't get into the corners. Also these aren't fine
furniture, just some junk chairs I'm refinishing. I think I'll go with
polyurethane after I knock down the shellac.
spaco
finish was: 3 coats of shellac, sanding between coats, then a finish
coat of (I think) spar varnish.
----This Boy's club was in Rockford, Ill. It was the greatest place
ever! It was open a couple of nights during the week and all day
Saturday. It had 2 or 3 craft shops (although the woodworking shop was
the highlight), a swimming pool, lounge, etc. Saturday's finished off
with a movie. That room was always filled to capacity.
Are such things still done in the modern world?
Pete Stanaitis
-----------------------------
SteveBell
> On Sep 30, 9:16�pm, "SteveBell" <resp...@online.newsgroup.invalid>
> wrote:
> > maxi...@cheerful.com wrote:
> > > > How many coats of shellac did you use? Ten or so is a good
> > > > number, since shellac goes on so thin and dries so fast. Look
> > > > up "French polishing", then try another ten coats.
> >
> > > TEN! I have only one coat so far. It came out very rough so I'm
> > > going to have to steel-wool all 4 chairs. Think the second and
> > > third coats (and eighth and ninth) will be smoother and glossier?
> >
> > Did you brush it on? Don't try to brush it. You can get a thicker
> > coat with a brush, but it dries so fast you can't make it smooth.
> >
> > Check out this web site:http://www.am-wood.com/finishes/french.html
> > for info on how to do French polishing. FP is the best method I've
> > found for putting on shellac. I hear spraying works, too, but I've
> > never tried it.
> >
> > Free tip:
> > Don't use steel wool. The steel particles get stuck in tiny holes in
> > the finish, then rust later on. You can't get them out, even with
> > compressed air or tack cloths. Use wet/dry sandpaper, cabinet
> > scrapers, or those colored "scrubby" sandpaper substitutes instead.
>
> Thanks for the steel wool tip. I'll use 400 grit wet-or-dry. I don't
> think french polishing would be successful on chairs - too many joints
> and the shellac won't get into the corners. Also these aren't fine
> furniture, just some junk chairs I'm refinishing. I think I'll go with
> polyurethane after I knock down the shellac.
Ahhh, I see now.
French polishing is great for things like table tops and sides of
cabinets. It's not so great for chair spindles.
You can use either water or thinner with the wet/dry sandpaper. Choose
whichever *doesn't* dissolve your existing finish. *Don't* use alcohol
with shellac, or you'll take the shellac off. :-)
You'll get a smoother finish with spraying, and polyurethane is
available in spray cans. Wipe everything down with tack cloths first,
and make sure the work area is as clean as is reasonable.
KB
Sometime back (several years ago) I did use poly varnish over shellac.
It worked out fine. I used a waterborne type, Glossy from General
Finishes if I remember correctly.
Try it on a small area first.
Ken B