How To Clean Shellac Finish

There are times when the shellac is so badly worn or damaged or when a water stain has blackened the wood beneath the shellac that the finish simply must be removed and a new coating applied. If your shellac finish is in good condition and just needs cleaning use a mild biodegradable liquid dishwashing soap diluted in warm water. Luckily it is the easiest wood finish to clean and repair.
how to clean shellac finish

3 Ways To Clean Shellac Wikihow

Finishing With Shellac Woodworking Masterclasses

3 Ways To Clean Shellac Wikihow

Please click show more below to see full description i go over the steps that i take to apply a simple shellac finish in this video.

How to clean shellac finish. When processed it is turned into dry flakes which are dissolved in industrial alcohol to make liquid shellac. It should work fine over dewaxed shellac though. Liquid shellac is used as a food glaze a wood finish and a brush on colorant. The shellac warnings are usually there because it wont work over shellac that has wax in it.

Cleaning a shellac finish. Whether you are dealing with shellac that needs a quick clean with soapy water or a shellac coated item that requires complete repair you shouldnt need more than a day or two to get your shellac surface looking shiny and new. For the best result possible removing the old finish and applying a new of course you will want to bring it to us. As far as i know the only pre mixed dewaxed shellac is behlens sealcoat.

Steel wool comes in grades of coarseness and we generally avoid coarse except for stripping back a finish with a solvent. To create the pad that youll use for applying shellac find a clean white sock and cut a clean piece of medium weight cotton muslin or a lint free polishing cloth into a 12 inch square. When the sanding is complete wipe down the surface with a damp cloth. Help support my channel and what i do buy a shirt.

This creates tiny grooves and pits that the shellac will be able to bind with. Shellac is a resin that the female lac bug secretes. Usually shellac needs no such treatment as shellac is readily dissolved by the repairing layers of shellac coats you apply. Before using padding to apply shellac place the finish into a squeeze bottle with a fine tip for easy use.

Never use oil soap products to clean natural historic finishes. Ring the rag out very well before you wipe the shellac surface. Shellac can be retouched if you insist on touching up the shellac finish on a piece of furniture use a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and very lightly sand all exposed surfaces. So if thats not what you used or you didnt mix your shellac from flakes and know its dewaxed its probably not going to work.