Clear Shellac as primer over decal

Peter2050 | Posted in Finishing on June 6, 2020 08:50pm

I am refinishing a vintage baby bed for display. It has very faded decals of deer, squirrels and ducks. I plan to paint the bed in its original 1952 off white color and have an artist paint the same decal scenes over the original decals. To do this I plan to (1) sand the bed being careful to not harm the decals, (2) put a clear shellac over the entire surface including the faded decals to act as a primer and allow the artist to see and paint over the decals, (3) cover the newly restored decals, (4) spray paint the bed with a latex paint, and (5) remove cover over decals and put clear shellac over entire bed, including decals. I am new at refinishing furniture and would like to know if the use of the clear shellac is a good idea. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Replies

john_c2 | Jun 07, 2020 06:11am | #1
I don't think this is going to work, at all. Every stage has the possibility for failure.

You are painting over the original decals. So you aren't preserving anything. Take pictures of the decals, paint everything, and have someone reproduce the art.

Is this a crib? It's unclear what you mean by baby bed. Don't put a baby in a 1952 crib.
fivebirdscustom | Jun 07, 2020 11:03am | #2
The only issue I see with your plan is the difference in finish thickness where the decals are... But, you could do like car painters do and bury the difference in the clear coat/shellac. That might be a bit too much shellac, though?

John_C2, the first sentence says he is using it for display.
_mj_ | Jun 07, 2020 03:43pm | #3
And NEVER put a baby in a bucket!!
DRBWWing | Jun 08, 2020 11:18am | #4
Take pictures, reduce/enlarge to actual size, and the artist can work off the pics.

You need to sand it all down if you want it to look good.