Hi Gang… I usually hang out on the Knots forum, but I have a ‘construction’ question and hope you can help me…
I’m involved with installing a floor – 300 sq. feet – in a lighthouse and have a finishing question. The wood is Vertical grain Fir, T & G decking. I’ve been told to seal all surfaces with shellac before instalation, partially to keep the surface clean, partially to slow down moisture absorption since there is NO heat/cooling (or electric) in this lighthouse. No electric means no large drum sanders to clean up the surface. So… should I use the shellac straight from the can (4 Lb cut) or thin it down to 2 lb cut? This problem arises because the ‘powers that be’ have still not decided on the final finish… regular poly or water-based poly or ‘something else’. And… the final finish may not be applied until next spring, depending on the weather / volunteer crew availability. Suggestions??? Thanks SawdustSteve
Replies
I cut it with denatured alchohol 3/2 for that kind of thing.
Then if anticipating a longer wait before the finishing happens, I recoat the top surface after installing the floor.
this will be a damp location though, so I might use it a bit stronger for the backprime.
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If you are experienced with shellac use the 4 lb otherwise the 2 lb. Also, use dewaxed so the final finish product will adhere better.
Use Zinnser's SealCoat. It's exactly what you need.
It's a 2-lb. cut, de-waxed shellac designed to seal the wood. You can then put any other finish on top of it.
Steve....no hvac...no elec....Long Island summers....high humidity....shellac may blush..
A thin sealer coat should be fine.
Tung Oil maybe?
..that's what I would use....Waterlox in that situation...Seal Coat is an excellent product, especially being dewaxed (omu will work as a topcoat), but shellac still has a tendency to blush in a high humidity/non conditioned enviroment, and doesn't wear well without a surface coating.