Shellac is a wonderfull thing.

[Adam Carl]

I had this door professional stripped and the stripper got 99% percent of the paint off. A few hours or sanding and removing pain from stubborn areas has led to an amazing door.

I went back and forth on how to finish this and decided to use shellac. I believe that is what it was orginally finsihed with. Why someone would paint this is beyond me? Anyway I used a 2lb cut of garnet shellac and I plan on applying a couple coats of wax as well.

The door has a pine core with 1/8 quartersawn oak veener. The panels are solid oak. I have 6 or 7 more to finish up. This door is from a house that was build around 1895.

The more I use shellac the more impressed I am.

[Keith Christopher]

Yes I have to agree. I love shellac ! Dries fast, and done right is so awesome.

[Neal Clayton]

looks pretty familiar ;).http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1184459

my originals from 1908 were also veneer, i tried to have them professionally stripped but the veneer didn't survive the chemical bath on most of them :(. so i built new ones to match the old, all solid this time.

i put a satin varnish on mine in lieu of the wax as a topcoat, but otherwise pretty much the same door.

are you spraying it? if you think shellac is easy to wipe, try a spray gun. you can lay down about 8 perfectly even coats an hour, from a spray gun it takes all of about two minutes to dry. if you didn't have to stop and rest your arm you could be a one man finishing assembly line ;).

anyways, yeah, all the modern chemistry in the world doesn't really replace the simplicity of shellac. i put it on everything, even floors.

careful with the paint stripping, it gets addictive. pretty soon you'll be taking a second look at those baseboards, casings, transoms, etc every time you walk by them (hint: those old rough square iron nails aren't fun to pull...they grip just a little better than new smooth nails...)

[Casey Gooding]

Beautiful!! After your doors, then you can start on all the trim :)
Good times!!! (catch the hint of sarcasm??)

[glenn bradley]

That's the warm traditional look I like. Very nice.

[Adam Carl]

looks pretty familiar ;).http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1184459

my originals from 1908 were also veneer, i tried to have them professionally stripped but the veneer didn't survive the chemical bath on most of them :(. so i built new ones to match the old, all solid this time.

i put a satin varnish on mine in lieu of the wax as a topcoat, but otherwise pretty much the same door.

are you spraying it? if you think shellac is easy to wipe, try a spray gun. you can lay down about 8 perfectly even coats an hour, from a spray gun it takes all of about two minutes to dry. if you didn't have to stop and rest your arm you could be a one man finishing assembly line ;).

anyways, yeah, all the modern chemistry in the world doesn't really replace the simplicity of shellac. i put it on everything, even floors.

careful with the paint stripping, it gets addictive. pretty soon you'll be taking a second look at those baseboards, casings, transoms, etc every time you walk by them (hint: those old rough square iron nails aren't fun to pull...they grip just a little better than new smooth nails...)

Wow, those door look identical. Nice job.

I was wiping it on. But I am really looking at getting a sprayer. What pound cut would you use for spraying? ... I'd love to strip it all but I have settled on doing the doors, fireplace and railings. I am painting the trim off white. I have alot of work to do on the outside and I have to get a shop set up in the barn. Working on upgrading the service now.

[Neal Clayton]

yea 5 panel doors with a smallish panel profile were pretty much standard for craftsman and late victorian style homes around many parts of the country. most of the houses around where i live have them, or a very similar variation.

i use a 2 pound cut to spray. a bit thinner if i'm brushing/wiping. also use 2 pound cuts for floors. the earlex turbine sprayers from woodcraft are a pretty good deal if you're looking for a cheap mobile spray setup for shellac.

it's much easier to get an even coat with darker colored shellacs (like garnet) with a spray gun. since it dries so fast coming out of the gun, you don't need as many seal coats, especially on old thirsty wood (like the wood in 115 year old doors :p). although it looks like you did a pretty good job on the above door, you could've sprayed it and gotten the same results in about an hour with a gun. probably took ya a lot longer than that to wipe it all..

and since shellac is relatively harmless you can spray it outside without any sort of air handling. just set up on some scraps in the driveway and knock yourself out. the alcohol won't travel further than a few feet, rain will wash the harmless residue away eventually, and the only problem with the overspray is every bug in the neighborhood will come running. apparently smells like chocolate, 100 dollar bills, and female bugs all rolled into one to your average 6 to 8 legged critter, they love the stuff. i've pretty much given up trying to keep the bugs away, just let them have their fun since it's gotta be buffed afterward anyways...

[Prashun Patel]

Adam-
The best budget sprayer is probably the Earlex.

But I have a cheap sprayer from Woodcraft ($80) and it's great for spraying easier finishes like shellac.

I spray Zinnser seal coat out of the can.

[Adam Carl]

Adam-
The best budget sprayer is probably the Earlex.

But I have a cheap sprayer from Woodcraft ($80) and it's great for spraying easier finishes like shellac.

I spray Zinnser seal coat out of the can.

Shawn,

I have been hearing good things about Earlex. What would you recommend if I have $600 0 $700 dollars to spend on a sprayer?

Adam