# How do I finish oak with shellac?



## bholland (Sep 10, 2018)

Hello all,

I have tried to finish oak with shellac and tung oil. The tung oil went on great. The shellac much less so. I cut the ziznar amber 50%. It goes on fine but it is always lumpy where the pores are. I tried using it uncut and it went okay but not great. I believe I need to actually get the finish smooth before I rub it out with oil and a 600+ grid sandpaper. So how do I get a smooth finish with shellac on oak? 

Thanks!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Shellac dries so fast it should be sprayed. The first coat isn't a problem but the successive coats would have to be applied very fast. The alcohol contained in the liquid shellac dissolves the dried finish you are applying over so if you are not careful you remove as much finish as you are applying. Then what ever you are using to apply the shellac it's drying on that so when you apply it you leave clumps of the finish on the surface. All these problems can be eliminated by spraying the finish on. It doesn't have to be a high dollar sprayer. If you have compressed air a twenty dollar harbor freight sprayer would do fine.


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

Oak has large pores and you have to fill them if you want a totally smooth finish. Oil finishes in oak can bleed back out when curing and the bleed out must be wiped off when it occurs before it cures. Some folks use a grain filler on poreus woods to negate the bleed back and provide a smooth surface for the top coats of finish. As Steve stated, spraying is really the quickest way to a smooth surface with shellac. I don't have a spray booth, or room, so overspray is real issue for me with my small shop. Padding on multiple applications of shellac is an art form that takes a lot of practice. Padding done correctly really doesn't need rubbing out with abrasives.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

Sometimes surface tension causes shellac to not want to go into pores. There’s a product called Shellac Wet that lowers the surface tension and make it flow better. 

But, to really get it smooth enough to rub out, you’re going to need to fill the pores as Jim said. They’re just too big to fill with finish.


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## bholland (Sep 10, 2018)

Hm. I was told by a guy who does a lot of shellac finishing that I can do it using a 1:4 dilution to get it really light and I guess to break the surface tension. The alcohol doesn't have any. He said to basically sand down to 320 or even 400, wipe off, and apply the diluted shellac until it is smooth. it might take a lot of coats but it goes on really quick. 

There also seems to be a spray vs brush debate. He uses a brush and just cleans it up afterward. Another friend of mine said to get a fairly cheap HVLP gun and an air compressor. I don't have either.


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## CharleyL (Jan 13, 2019)

Use a grain filler first and apply enough coats to fill the pores in the wood, then sand it smooth. The stain and shellac layers will have a better chance of leaving a smooth finish afterward, but may need a light sanding before the last coat. The final layers of shellac or poly need to be sprayed if you want a really smooth surface. A finishing step called "French Polishing" can be used to rub in the final coat of shellac for the hand rubbed look, but it takes a lot of effort and practice to get good results. A Google Search for the terms in quotes in this post should bring up descriptions and videos if you want to know more. Bob Flexner is somewhat of a wood finishing expert, so look for his name and find his articles and books on proper wood finishing.

Charley


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

Are you working in red oak or white oak? White oak vessel elements (pores) are occluded with tyloses = the wood is water-proof and used for wine/sherry/whiskey barrels. You all should know that.


Red oak species need a paste pore filler that is normally sanded back to surface for any other finish treatment.
Get that done correctly and 3 coats of gloss finish and red oak is magnificent to look at.


This is all straight forward wood science anatomy. The University of Google can't compete.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I use shellac for my work surface top ....*

I pour the shellac on, float it out with a large pad, and it dries evenly. I recoat the top every so often using the same method right over the old shellac. It ends up being a nice thick surface finish which I can make really smooth with a gentle use of a metal card scraper to knock off the dust nibs. I suppose if this were a furniture finish, I could sand and polish it as well, but it's not, just a particle board work and assembly surface. It is 10 ft long and 30" wide like a table top, and the alcohol fumes get to me about half way down ...... just sayin':drink::wacko::blink:


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