Finishing refines and protects a wooden surface, making it look newer and more attractive. Are you interested to know how to apply shellac to finish wood floors and to polish furniture? Read on to learn this valuable DIY skill.
How to Finish Wood Floors
Finishing wood floors usually takes about a week—one day to prepare the area and gather tools and materials, another day to sand, and the remaining days to apply finish and to let it dry between coats.
You will need to sand the floors to remove defects and impurities that ruin the wood’s appearance. Some things to get rid of are old finishing, burns, cutter marks, scratches, indentations, splits, raised grain, smears, and glue spots.
Consider renting a floor sander for most of the floor area and an edger for corners and edges. Manually sand the areas that can’t be reached by the machines. Ask the seller to teach you how to operate the equipment.
Before you sand, remove carpet staples and repair loose or damaged flooring. Fill holes and cracks with wood putty. Fill pores with wood filler. Hammer in or remove protruding nailheads.
In general, sanding wood floors require three grades of sandpaper: coarse at first, medium at the next pass, and then fine for the final time. For worn floors, use extra-coarse paper.
You need to clean the floor before applying the shellac. Sweep and/or vacuum all debris.
If you want to change the color of the wood, you may use bleach or colored wood stains. Shellac itself comes in a variety of hues, ranging from clear to yellowish orange.
Pour the Shellac to the floor. Spread it with a brush with synthetic bristles. Do not dip the brush into the can of Shellac because it might dirty up the product. If you need to get it on your brush, load it from a different container.
Spread the shellac using smooth, long strokes. Go along the direction of the wood grain. Try to do this fast because shellac is quick drying.
Wait at least 30 minutes and then follow each coat with another round of sanding. For best results, recoat the floor after 4 hours.
Clean the sanded area thoroughly before reapplication. Two to four coats of Shellac are usually enough. You may also skip the sanding part and simply coat the surface several times.
Leave the final coat to dry and harden for 24-48 hours. Finally, polish or buff the floor with a pumice or steel wool. You may apply a thin coat of wax for added protection.
Tip: Shellac can be removed by alcohol, water, or paint stripper. Just pour it in on the spot until the shellac dissolves then wipe it off. Because of this, you must avoid getting your floors wet. Dry spills as fast as you can to avoid ruining the finish.
How to Polish Furniture with Shellac
You need to clean the furniture before applying shellac. Dust it off with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth. A dirty cloth with debris may scratch the furniture, so ensure that the cloth is smooth. Spray the cloth with a dust-control substance and use it to wipe off dust.
As with floors, you may or may not sand furniture before applying the shellac. However, you do need to clean it first.
Apply the shellac to the furniture using your brush. Wait 30 minutes to 4 hours before applying the second coat.
There you have it! You now know how to keep your furniture and floors shiny with shellac. Enjoy clean-looking wooden items for years to come.
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