c/furniture-finishers

Visited the old courthouse in Jefferson City and the finish on the benches was something else

I was there last Tuesday and the oak benches in the main hall had this deep, almost black, color but you could still see every bit of the grain. It looked like a ton of coats of something really thick, maybe shellac. I've never seen a public space finish hold up that well with so much use. Has anyone worked on a project that needed to look that good but also stand up to hundreds of people a day?

Tried using a hair dryer to soften old shellac... and it actually worked

Had this stubborn 1920s dresser with a shellac finish that was alligatored and flaking. Instead of stripping it all off, I hit it with a hair dryer on low heat for about 30 seconds before applying a new coat of fresh shellac. The heat softened the old finish just enough for the new stuff to melt in and bond. Anyone else use heat to help with a shellac repair?

Question about shellac flakes versus the premixed stuff

I used to use the premixed cans for quick touch-ups, but after switching to mixing my own from flakes for a 1920s dresser last week, the depth of color is just different. Anyone else notice this or have a favorite supplier?

Appreciation post: A client in Boise told me my finish looked like 'factory plastic'

Happened last year on a walnut table delivery. He said it right in his driveway, no filter. Made me rethink my whole topcoat process. Anyone else get a harsh comment that actually improved their work?

Rant: People keep telling me to sand between coats of poly, but I stopped and my work got better.

I was taught to sand lightly with 220 grit between every coat of water-based poly. After a job in Tacoma where the finish felt too thin, I skipped that step on a test piece. The next coat bonded just fine and built up faster with less dust to clean. My final finish on a maple table was smoother because I wasn't cutting into the previous layer. Has anyone else tried skipping the between-coat sanding on water-based finishes?

That time I dropped a can of stain on a client's new white rug

I was working on a big dining table in this fancy house in Scottsdale, Arizona. The floor was covered with one of those huge white rugs, and I had my gear laid out on a drop cloth. I turned around to grab a brush and my elbow caught the open can of dark walnut stain. It went everywhere, a huge splash right in the middle of the rug. My heart just stopped. I grabbed every clean rag I had and started blotting like crazy with mineral spirits. It took me over an hour, but I got almost all of it out. The faint shadow that was left, I told the homeowner the truth and paid for a professional rug cleaner to come out, which cost me about $120. It was a brutal lesson in setting up my workspace better, no matter how careful I think I am. Has anyone else had a close call like that with a client's stuff?

Tried a vinegar wash on some oak and it came out pink

I was working on a 1920s oak table from a house in Tacoma and wanted to try a natural finish. I mixed up some white vinegar with steel wool like I saw online, let it sit for two days, and brushed it on. Instead of the gray tone I expected, the wood turned this light pink color after about an hour. I think the tannins in that specific oak reacted in a way I didn't plan for. Has anyone else had a finish react with a weird color like that, and what did you do to fix it?

Can we talk about the original purpose of shellac?

I was reading an old trade journal from the 1920s and discovered that shellac was originally developed as a sealant for electrical components, not for furniture. It mentioned that its use on wood came later, once its protective qualities were understood. Has anyone else come across this bit of history in their work?

PSA: People keep sanding between coats of poly wrong and it shows

I see a lot of folks, even in shops, sanding with 220 grit between coats of polyurethane. That's too rough. It leaves deep scratches that the next coat can't fill, giving you a cloudy finish. I switched to 320 or 400 grit wet/dry paper about two years ago, just lightly scuffing the surface. The difference is night and day, way clearer build. How many coats do you guys sand between, or do you skip it for the first few?

Shoutout to the guy who told me to use a hair dryer on stubborn shellac runs

Heads up about the antique market in Pasadena last weekend

I saw a vendor selling a 'restored' 1920s sideboard that was clearly just painted over with a thick layer of modern latex, sealing in all the original grime. Has anyone else run into this kind of quick cover-up job being passed off as a real finish?

Just realized everyone at the shop is skipping the grain filler step on oak

Sanded three pieces back down after a year because the finish looked muddy, and the open pores were the whole problem. Anyone else see this happen with water-based topcoats?

Serious question, I stripped a 1920s dresser last week and the wood underneath is almost gray

It was a solid oak piece from an estate sale in Cincinnati. I used a chemical stripper, and when I got the old varnish off, the wood looked washed out and pale, not that warm oak color I expected. I'm worried I might have damaged it or if it's just how the wood aged. Has anyone else run into wood that lost its color after stripping, and what did you do to bring it back?

The time I learned about shellac the hard way in my garage

I used to mix my own shellac flakes in a glass jar, guessing the cut by eye and letting it sit for a week. Last summer, a batch I mixed at a '2 pound cut' turned into sticky, useless goop after three days in the Phoenix heat. My old boss finally told me to get a digital scale and mix small batches fresh, which changed everything. Now I weigh 4 ounces of flakes, add 16 ounces of alcohol, and use it within a month. Has anyone else had a shellac disaster from trying to store it too long?

Hit 200 board feet of walnut in a single month and the waste number shocked me

Update: I just finished my 500th piece, a walnut sideboard with a French polish, and the number kind of snuck up on me.

It wasn't until I logged it in my ledger yesterday that I realized I'd passed that mark, and it made me think about how much muscle memory and intuition I've built up since I started in my garage ten years ago.

My old boss swore by thinning shellac with denatured alcohol, but I just had a project in Phoenix turn sticky.

He always said it was the only way to get a smooth finish on oak, but the heat here made it dry way too fast and left a gummy mess. What do you folks in dry climates use to cut your shellac?

My old boss told me to always strip with lacquer thinner, never chemical stripper

He ran a shop in Tucson for 30 years and swore by it, saying it was faster and didn't raise the grain. I tried it on a 1920s oak dresser and it was a total mess, took three times as long and left a gummy film. Now I only use a good citrus-based stripper for old finishes. Anyone else get some really bad advice that cost them a job?

Finally got a handle on why my shellac was setting up so fast

Kept having my 2-pound cut go tacky in the jar after just a few hours, even in my cool basement shop. Watched a video from a guy in Maine and realized I was mixing it with a metal stir stick. The metal was warming the alcohol and making it evaporate way quicker. Switched to a plastic paddle and now a mix lasts me a full day of work. Anyone else run into this with their shellac?

Just realized I was sanding wrong after a demo at the Charlotte Woodworking Show

I was at the Charlotte Woodworking Show about three months ago and watched a guy from a finishing supply booth do a demo on a maple tabletop. He said 'you're just pushing dust around' and showed how to sand with the grain in overlapping circles, not straight lines. I tried it on a walnut desk I was refinishing, and it cut my sanding time almost in half. The surface felt way smoother before I even started with the first coat of oil. Has anyone else picked up a trick like that from a show or class that really stuck?

Finally got a clean finish on a 1920s oak dresser from a Tacoma estate sale

Three weeks ago I picked it up, and the old shellac was a real mess, cloudy and sticky. I stripped it with a card scraper and did four thin coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal, sanding with 400 grit between each. It came out glass-smooth yesterday, no dust nibs or streaks. Anyone have a go-to topcoat for pieces that will get a lot of daily use?

Vent: The week I learned to never trust 'dry' wood from a garage sale in Portland

Last week I picked up this gorgeous oak dresser for a steal, maybe $40, from a guy in the Pearl District. He swore it had been in his dry garage for years. I stripped it, sanded it down perfect, and started applying my usual oil-based poly. Two days later, the whole thing was covered in these tiny white bubbles under the finish, like a bad rash. I had to strip it all over again, which took another full day. Turns out, the wood was still holding moisture from who knows when, and the poly just sealed it in. Now I test every single piece with a moisture meter before I even think about sanding, no matter what the seller says. Anyone else get burned by hidden moisture like that? What's your go-to fix once it happens, besides starting over?

TIL my go-to shellac flakes were the reason my finish kept clouding up

I was finishing a walnut dresser for a client in Tacoma last week, and every coat kept drying with a weird haze, even though my shop humidity was fine. After three frustrating attempts, I checked the batch date on my flakes and realized they were over two years old and had absorbed moisture. Has anyone else had this happen, and what's your shelf life rule for shellac?

Appreciation post: Saw a 100 year old bar in Savannah that made me miss shellac

I was on a trip to Savannah last week and stopped into this old bar downtown, and the bartender pointed out the original mahogany countertop from the 1920s. The finish had this incredible, deep warmth and soft glow that you just don't see with modern clears, and it was clearly all hand-rubbed. Does anyone still use garnet shellac for a period-correct shine, or is it all conversion varnish now?

Remember when we had to choose between oil and water based poly?

About ten years back, I was finishing a big oak table for a client who wanted a bulletproof top. The choice came down to a traditional oil based poly or a newer water based one. I went with the oil, thinking it would build a thicker, more durable coat. It yellowed the oak more than I expected, which the client actually loved, but the dry time was a killer. The whole job took nearly a week with all the coats and cure time. Looking back, I wonder if a modern water based product would have held up just as well without the amber tone. Anyone finish a similar piece recently and have a strong opinion on which way to go now?