A 1940s dresser had me fighting old shellac for a week

Picked up this gorgeous piece from an estate sale, looked like a simple refinish job. The original shellac was so brittle and crazed it kept lifting under my sander, no matter how gentle I went. Ended up hand-scraping the entire top with a card scraper, inch by inch, which took about four days. Then I had to re-stain to match the patina on the drawer fronts, adding another three days of work. Anyone have a better method for dealing with that super old, cracked finish?

2 comments

2 Comments

skyler24613d ago

That old shellac can be a real nightmare. Had a similar fight with a 1930s vanity. What finally worked was denatured alcohol and a ton of coarse steel wool, just soaking and scrubbing small sections. It turns the shellac back to goo so you can wipe it off. Still a messy, slow job, but it kept me from sanding through the original veneer. A chemical stripper made for shellac might work faster, but the alcohol felt safer on such thin old wood.

the_riley13d ago

Oh man, @skyler246 is totally right about the alcohol trick! I'd add that using a plastic scraper after it turns gooey saves your wood from any steel wool scratches.