Refinish A Wood Floor With Shellac

Brushing on shellac requires a fine natural or china bristle brush.

Refinish a wood floor with shellac.

The gloss on a floor in an older home may not be the ubiqutous polyurethane but shellac which requires specific care. Shellac is a wood finish that has been used for centuries. When a shellac finish needs restoration it s possible to apply new material directly over the old because like lacquer shellac amalgamates and the two. Thomas assesses the finish on an inconspicuous area such as a door edge below by rubbing it with denatured alcohol.

Shellac finishes were common on wood floors. Shellac finishes scratch easily and shellac isn t the most water resistant of finishes. The term shellac comes from the family of lac insects which secrete a substance that was discovered centuries ago to work as a wood sealer. When shellac finishes get wet they develop unsightly white rings.

If your floors get a scratch it s an easy job to touch them up though. Expect to spend at least one full day on this prep work for refinishing hardwood floors. There are times when the shellac is so badly worn or damaged or when a water stain has blackened the wood beneath the shellac that the finish simply must be removed and a new coating applied. You have to thoroughly clean the floor touch up any deep scratches and roughen the existing finish with sanding screens so the new finish will adhere well.

Shellac has many advantages as a finish. Use a two or three pound cut of shellac and apply generously with long smooth strokes. Removing shellac from wood floors. If nothing comes up it s an oil based polyurethane or varnish.

As with any wood floor refinishing project 90 percent of this job is preparation. But if the finish softens and doesn t come off it s a water based polyurethane. The history of shellac goes back for hundreds of years. Step 2 strip the old finish photo by wendell t.

Since shellac dries quickly be careful to avoid drips or blotchy areas when applying because unlike other finishes you will likely not have time to over brush to eliminate the blemish. There are also disadvantages. So you ll need to use wood floor cleaners specifically formulated for this type of finish. It is non toxic dries quickly provided the product is fresh when applied can be tinted and is relatively easy to apply.