How to Apply Shellac to Furniture
Shellac puts a beautiful finish on wood and is considered one of the easiest finishes to apply. It can be used on mahogany, walnut and fine-veneer woods. Shellac comes in many colors, but the two most common colors are white and orange. You can apply shellac every four hours in multiple coats that are very thin. Follow these steps to apply shellac to furniture. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shellac in desired finish shade
- Newspaper
- Two paintbrushes
- 0.7 grade sandpaper
- Sanding block
- Steel wool (0000 grade)
- Clean tack cloth
Instructions
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Make sure your work area is clean and there is newspaper covering the floor.
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Prepare, sand and seal the wood. Use a clean paintbrush and new shellac, thinned to 1-pound cut. Shellac just one area before moving on to another.
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Apply the shellac liberally, using long strokes painted smoothly and following the wood grain. The surface should be kept wet.
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Use an almost dry brush, held at a slight angle, to stroke the surface lightly to remove the brush strokes and to make the shellac appear more even. Work in strips following the wood grain. Let it dry for four hours.
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Sand the surface lightly using 0.7 grade sandpaper on a sanding block. Clean the sanded surface using light strokes of a tack cloth. You can then apply another coat of shellac.
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Add additional coats if desired by sanding, cleaning and reapplying the shellac, letting the shellac dry for four hours between coats. The final shellac coat should set for 48 hours, then take a 0000 grade steel wool and gently rub along the grain of the wood to remove the gloss.
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Let the shellacked furniture set for at least 48 hours before applying paste wax, then buff it out using a soft cloth. You can also use an electric drill's buffing attachment until it shines.
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