Is Waterlox Sealer necessary under WL Satin?

[Pete Ducklow]

I am just finishing a Mission style table made with QS oak. So far, I have finished it by dying with Transtint dye, sealed with 1.5 lb cut of amber shellac, and used Minwax gel stain to darken the pores. I planned on putting a couple of coats of Waterlox Satin Finish on it as a top coat, but the instructions say to put one or two coats of Waterlox Original Sealer & Finish followed by the Satin. Is this necessary in my case? Is the shellac seal coat sufficient, or will there be adhesion problems between the gel stain and Satin Finish?

Thanks.

[Jim Becker]

As long as the amber shellac was de-waxed, you can put just about anything over it including the Waterlox. The instructions are likely assuming you are starting with bare wood. If the satin Waterlox doesn't contain any polyurethane resins, you should be fine even if you used waxy shellac.

[Howard Acheson]

No need to use the Original Sealer/Finish. Just thin the first coat of Satin about 25-30% with mineral spirits. That will act as a sealer. Then apply 2-3 full strength coats to finish.