Reply To: Dye on Coasters?

Hi Debra, I have used dye once in a while. I assume that the dye is for coloring and that you are applying the dye directly to the wood rather than adding dye to shellac or to some sort of varnish. It is pretty standard to add a topcoat over dyed wood. That topcoat would seal out the water and the alcohol. Of course, since a coaster could be exposed to alcohol, you probably do not want to use shellac for your top coat since shellac dissolves in alcohol. You need a varnish of any kind that does not react with water or alcohol. (Another reason to want a topcoat is that dyed wood without something over it does not look good. Very flat.)