Hello Folks,
I have a shop full of bookcases that are to have an amber shellac finish. I noticed the can calls for a first coat of the universal sealer. Won’t this give a less amber color than if I omit the seal coat? Is the seal coat that important? As I understand it, the seal coat is just dewaxed shellac. I want a good finish, and plan to apply with a natural bristle brush, unless I get into it and opt to pad it on.
Can you shellac gurus tell me the pros and cons of skipping the Zinsser Universal coat? Thanks a lot.
10man
Replies
I'm not a guru, but the basics of shellac would seem to indicate that unless you're expecting an adhesion problem with the raw wood, you don't need to use a dewaxed shellac with your first coat. What specific product are you using for your regular coats?
PS: If I'm wrong, I'll eat the label off my Seal Coat for punishment. Hopefully, there's not some obscure reason for using dewaxed.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 8/5/2007 11:21 am by forestgirl
Hello forestgirl, I agree; I don't see the need for the seal coat either. I seldom use shellac in the shop, and have never noticed the statement on the can recommending using the seal coat under the waxed shellac. Just wanted to make sure I'd be OK skipping it. My tops coats will be Amber Bulls Eye Shellac. Thanks for your input.10man
You certainly can skip the Seal Coat under Amber, conversely Seal Coat can perfectly well be used as the entire shellac coating. Dewaxed shellac such as Seal Coat are clearer and more water resistant than shellac with wax such as Amber. There are other choices if you mix shellac from flakes yourself. Then, you can have your cake and eat it too--that is you can get darker shellacs that are also dewaxed. Try http://www.homesteadfinishing.com for a good selection and lots of information.
Hello Steve, Thanks for the good info. I feel even better about skipping the seal coat now. Have a good day.10man
No, using the Sealcoat first will not materially affect the color if you use a an amber shellac for the next coats. However, I question why there are instructions to use the Sealcoat. Zinsser SealCoat is nothing more than a blond, 100% dewaxed 2# cut of shellac. Other than being dewaxed, it's nothing special. It can be used just as you would use another shellac. The only thing is that it is lighter in color than the Zinsser Amber which is not a dewaxed shellac.
If you are using only a shellac finish, there is no compelling reason to use the SealCoat. Just thin the Amber from a 3# cut to a 2# or 1 1/2# cut and go at it.
Zinsser came out with the SealCoat to allow it to be used as an undercoat under oil based poly varnish and waterborne finishes. Those finishes will not adhere well to shellac containing its natural wax and most containers of poly will have instructions not to use poly on top of shellac. That's only reason.
Hello Howard, Thanks for your quick reply. I agree with you completely. Maybe Zinnser can sell more product by spec'ing the seal coat.10man
Maybe Zinnser can sell more product by spec'ing the seal coat
You hit the nail right, smack on the head!!!
Greed strikes again. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men??
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