I spent 15 years flipping found furniture with polyurethane before a random estate sale lady told me to try shellac instead

Picked up a beat-up oak side table in Cincinnati for $12 last spring and after she showed me how shellac dissolves into itself for repairs I realized I'd been fighting sticky brush strokes for no reason all this time, has anyone else stuck with a finish way too long before switching?

2 comments

2 Comments

barnes.morgan1mo agoMost Upvoted

Holy cow, 15 years! That's a whole era of furniture flipping spent fighting with polyurethane. I remember my first shellac project and how it felt like cheating when I realized I could just melt the finish back together instead of sanding for hours. Polyurethane always made me feel like I was wrestling the brush, not working with it. Did you have any projects you completely ruined with poly that you wish you could go back and fix with shellac?

scott.grace1mo ago

My 2012 oak dresser comes to mind, with those awful brush marks that looked like frozen waves. I used to believe a tough finish like poly was the only good choice for daily use furniture. Watching a restorer fix a shellac tabletop with just alcohol and a rag changed my whole view on repairability. Now I see fighting with a finish is a sign you might be using the wrong one for the job.