Shellac finish marks easily
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Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Finishing / Shellac finish marks easily
I’ve been using shellac for a few projects, just the ready-mixed Liberon sanding sealer that I’ve also seen Paul use. The final finish seems very delicate to me. A light scratch with a fingernail leaves a white mark on the surface, so everyday scuffs start to show up easily. This happens even with 3-4 coats and it’s more pronounced on softwoods because the finish is more easily deformed.
Am I doing something wrong?
Ewan
You mentioned you are using “sanding sealer”. From my understanding of shellac, sanding sealer is a very thinned out version.
To get a more durable and hard shellac finish, you may need several more layers or go with a 2 or 3 pound cut for your final layers.
4 coats of sanding sealer is very little. Try 10 or so, and let it harden a few days when finished. I think, wax makes it easier to remove dirt, dust and the like but doesn’t really protect the shellack much.
Dieter