# Acceptability for shellac usage outdoors (under varnish)



## 7seven7dc (May 24, 2017)

All,
Brand new to the forum and have spent the last few days reading quite a bit, but unfortunately Ive been unable to find the answer to the following question...

I have an 1880 Italianate Victorian home with a simple but character defining front porch. I live in a historic district and am required to return the porch to its original condition with original materials. As such, Ill be using 2" CVG Douglas Fir T&G decking laid perpendicular to the facade of the house. 

The entire house has the original woodwork, all with a beautiful amber shellac finish and I would like to carry that through to the outside on the heart pine front doors and the new Douglas Fir decking.

My question is, would the following work and would it hold up to the elements:

2 Coats Minwax Wood Conditioner to raise the grain and seal some of the pores
Finish sand with 400
Apply Shellac
Apply a final coat of Dewaxed Shellac to ensure adhesion of the top coat
Apply 4-5 coats of Epiphanes RapidClear (or possibly traditional Spar Varnish, though I dont necessarily want the full gloss finish)

Epiphanes has excellent UV blockers and should hold up to the elements far better than any Poly, but Im concerned the Shellac under it may not fare so well (ie, would it fade, crack, peel, etc) or would the varnish sufficiently protect it from sun, etc?

Thanks for any feedback or advice you can offer! 

-Aaron


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

1. You never use two coats of wood conditioner. A wood conditioner is a type of sealer which seals the wood enough for the stain to stain uniform. It otherwise would have dark blotches on the soft spots. Two coats would just prevent you from staining the wood or cause you to allow stain to dry on the surface which would cause adhesion problems with the finish. 

2. Finish sanding to 400 grit would tend to wallow out the soft part of the grain giving the texture of the wood a washboard look. You shouldn't sand finer than 180 grit. 

3. Shellac would be fine for interior wood but not exterior. Shellac is a fast drying finish which is better sprayed. It can be very frustrating finishing with shellac by hand because the alcohol contained in the finish will melt and dissolve the previous coats. It's also very difficult to keep from having brush marks in the finish because it dries so fast. 

4. Instead of using shellac for the exterior wood you can recreate some of the appearance of the orange shellac by adding a orange dye to the Epifanes varnish. Use this formula for the first coat or two of the exterior wood and then finish with the varnish without the dye. 

5. I wouldn't apply 4-5 coats of finish. Apply enough finish it is coated well but don't over do it. After a few years the finish will start to dry out and look dull. At this time the finish is in it's beginning stages of failing. At that time add a fresh coat and it will prevent further decay. If you put too many coats on at the get go it doesn't leave room for additional coats. Too many coats reduces the elasticity of the finish and can lead to it cracking or pealing and allow water to get under the finish.


----------

