*
I have a oak timber over our fireplace as a mantle and I have finished planing and sanding it smooth and ready to finish. I want it to end up with some amber tones, but my dilemma is I don’t want to use an oil finish
(poly or laquer) because of the fumes (got kids…). Is there a way I can
use something like shellac as a first coat to bring out some amber tones and then finish it off with a water based poly (low fumes)? I’ve been using the water poly all summer on the window trim and it’s great because the odor is virtually non-existant. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it doesn’t leave the oak with much of an amber color like the oil poly does. It only clear coats it mainly w/ no change in color.
I appreciate your input.
Matt
Replies
*
I mention shellac because I thought maybe it didn't have as strong an odor as other oil finishes, plus I know it can give wood a color enhancement. Basically, I'm looking for advice on how to give it an amber color w/o the odor, and then I'll finish it off with water based poly.
Matt
*Matthew, Personally, I would let the piece yellow naturally. You could use orange shellac and cut it to your liking through experimentation with scrap. How it would look five years down the road is anybody's guess. Since you don't want to use an oil base product, I can't help you with a suggestion. However, for those who are reading that don't have such restrictions, Min Wax Golden Oak (210B) brushed on, then wiped off about 15 - 20 minutes later has excellent results in giving White and Red Oak that "aged" look. Dano
*Matt,All the finishes that I have used over the years have an odor. After they have cured, the odor is not detectable, at least to my nose.If you are extremely sensitive to odors I would suggest using a respirator of filtered mask.Dano
*b From the Workshop of Ron BreseMatt you will probably want to use dewaxed garnet shellac in order to get the amber color you seek. I use waterborne lacquer over shellac with no problems. You may want to check with Jeff Jewitt at Homestead Finishing to see which waterborne polys will work over shellac.Ron
*Ron,Where would I get dewaxed garnet shellac? Is there a specific brand name to look for? Thanks for the input.Dano,I realize most of these things have an odor. That doesn't bother me. What concerns me is that we're living in the house (see first post) and I have kids, wife, etc.....I don't particularly want to have the whole house filled with odors while this thing dries, and then have the kids with headaches, vomiting or whatever, depending on how it would effect them. That's why I'm asking this question for different options.Thanks, Matt
*Matthew,Behlen has Garnet shellac flakes and is available through Garrett Wade. Would also suggest that you use their Behkol solvent to mix with.I did read your first post and assumed that you had a garage or ventilated shop area in which to finish the project. I apologize for the assumption. I was only trying to help.Dano
*I would use Garnet or Buttonlac shellac, maybe regular orange shellac. You might consider a tinted wax over the shellac. Most waxes have solvents, but the smell is not too bad after you buff it out. An open window in the room should take care of it and it's Fall so hopefully the temps are nice in your part of the world.
*Would just one coat of the shellac be enough? I'm assuming so, but haven't used it before. It dries pretty quick though doesn't it? After it dries completely, can I then put my water based poly on?Thanks again.
*No, I would go with two to three coats of 1 to 1.5 lb cut. It's easier working with thinner cuts of shellac.It would be a real shame to put poly over the shellac. Wax is enough.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled