Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Shellac verses sanding sealer on cabinets.

Hi all,

I recently experimented for the first time with shellac flakes as a sealer coat. I brushed and sprayed a prototype raised panel door to learn the results first hand. I do not know anyone that uses shellac for anything.

Does anyone have a rule of thumb when they would use shellac instead of sanding sealer? The cost is about the same, and the sanding sealer is ready mixed. Here are my observations. Shellac is fast drying so you can put on several coats in a couple of hours. Sanding sealer takes much longer to dry. Lets assume that you will always be using a topcoat of poly, varnish, lacquer or paint over the shellac for a topcoat.

Lugnut

Hi Lugnut,
Assuming your finish coat will be lacquer or poly, you don't need a sealer. The first coat will be the sealer. I don't even use varnish anymore - most of them are polyurethanes anyway. An advantage of using sanding sealer is that it will help fill pores and achieve a smoother first coat of finish(used more for table tops, etc). But if you are staining first, you may want to use a prestain conditioner to assure an even staining job.
You also mentioned paint. That's when you need a primer/sealer, to prevent bleed-through and ruining a nicely painted finish.
Shellac is nice for antique pieces but probably not for the kitchen.
fred

PS: a wealth of informaton can be obtained in Bob Flexner's book on Applying Finishes, $21.95, and well worth it.

Thanks fewalt, you summed up some very powerful points in one breath. It gave me pause to stop and put them into perspective. I do own Bob's book as you mentioned. But by the time I finished digesting it, I had a million concepts floating around in my head. It's hard to get them into perspective. You comments are greatly appreciated.

Since I tend to work with lower priced poplar for projects, to acquire basic skills, I am always looking for the perfect paint finish. Bob's book does not cover paint finishes much. So I am always trying to apply clear and stain finishing knowledge to paints.

I recently built my first cabinet with raised panel doors. My cabinet (www.planetkc.com/mchapman/images/cab1x.jpg) I used a prototype door and sprayed it with shellac, then the other side with sanding sealer. After a week of stewing, I ended up using an oil base primer which worked best. Although, at that time, I could not have given the reason that you just provided. You really hit the nail on the head! Thanks for helping me understand why I did what I did. Not only did the primer cover better, it is designed to be sandable too! I am glad I took the time to post my original question, and certainly glad you replied. Thank you very much.
I think now I can start separating he world of paint from the world of clear/stain finishes. I will be using those techniques on my first oak project in the future.

Lugnut
;)

Lugnut,
Beautiful Entertainment Cabinet!!
How did you flute the side panels, a cove type bit?
I recently finished two end tables(walnut). Nothing real fancy but they do have dovetailed drawers and a lower shelf. Next wil be a coffee table to match. And like you, I admire brass hardware.
Fortunately my neighbor/farmer has more dry walnut stacked in a shed than he'll ever use. The heartwood doesn't need stained at all and about five coats of wiped on poly look great.
Keep the blades and bits turning,
fred

Hi Fewalt,

Thanks for the compliment. Yes, I used a cove bit, although I did not have the larger sized one. I love flutes on woodwork. It may be a few years till I get the skill needed to produce coffee tables and projects made out of walnut, but I look forward to it. Furniture requires more skill than cabinets and I applaud you.

To George T. I wanted to acknowlege your email, but the return address failed.

Thanks,

Mumbles.