arby

I built an end table out of red oak , and finished it with laquer in a spray can. It has begun to flake off the table legs. I used shellac
as a sealer on the raw wood , and no stain .What did I do wrong , and how do I strip it off to re-finish it.

Thanks in advance for any help

Corndog

De-waxed shellac???

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Geoff...

arby

I used Zinsser bullseye shellac in an aerosol spray can. The can said it could be used for sealing furniture.

Al Killian

I think you have waxed shelac. You need the Zinsser conditoner, this is wax free. I perfer to mixe flake has it is esier to make small batches.

arby

I am going to strip the table and wipe it down with alcohol. Do you think that will remove any wax from the old shelac>
Thanks for your reply.

cabinetman

I would take it back to wood, instead of using shellac, start off with a lacquer sanding sealer, and then topcoat with lacquer.

Big Dave

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Do one thing at a time, do it well, then move on.
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kreuzie

The solvent in the lacquer caused the shellac to "melt".

Strip the shellac and seal with lacquer sanding sealer; sand this lightly with 220 grit and then two coats of lacquer (no sanding between coats--the lacquer reamalgamates (melts the previous coat) so the finishing process goes pretty quickly).

Wait several days for the lacquer to "cure" before rubbing out, if desired.

As a rule of thumb, you can put a "cold" finish (like polyurethane) over lacquer but not a "hot" finish (lacquer) over a cold one. The lacquer will almost always ruin the previous finish.