Elisha Albretsen

What’s the Deal with DeWax Shellac?

Elisha Albretsen
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Duration:   3  mins

Description

Dewaxed shellac is an excellent sealer to apply to bare wood before your final topcoat, and it also works as a great intermediary coat between finishes that don’t naturally bond, like polyurethane and lacquer. Many people wonder if regular shellac (not dewaxed) can serve the same function. In this video, Elisha “The Pneumatic Addict” conducts an experiment to show how lacquer adheres to both dewaxed and regular shellac.

To set up the tests, Elisha does the following:

Apply shellac: Elisha applies both dewaxed shellac and regular shellac to a sample board. By applying both products side by side on the same board, she eliminates any variables such as wood species, sanding preparation, surface contaminants, or any other finishes that might interfere. The shellac can be applied using whichever method you prefer, such as spraying, brushing, or wiping.

Apply lacquer: Elisha then sprays a uniform coat of rattle-can lacquer over the two shellac samples. The finish is left to dry for a period of time to allow for easier observation of the results. If you want to try this experiment yourself, feel free to use any lacquer product you prefer, as the results should be similar.

The outcome of Elisha’s experiment may surprise you and will likely influence your decision the next time you need to apply a shellac seal coat. Let us know if you were surprised by the results or if you’ve ever encountered finish incompatibility in your own projects.

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