Finishes and Coatings
Tips for Using Shellac and Sealants: Most artists’ love shellac because it dries so quickly. Using shellac usually means that you can theoretically start and complete a project within the course of twenty-four hours, from start to finish. Shellac is a very user-friendly product. It will wash out of your best brushes (or even rollers) with ease – all you need is just water and ammonia to clean shellac from your brushes, followed by a rinse with clean water. Shop finishes and coatings, including shellac and spray shellac, now!
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Price: $9 | Price: $11 | Price: $4 - $6 | Price: $6 | |||
Brand: Amaco | Brand: Bulls Eye | Brand: Krylon | Brand: Krylon | |||
This all-purpose sealer seals and protects almost any surface with a semi-matte finish. | Bulls Eye Spray Shellac is durable, fast drying, clear, and provides a protective finish. | This permanent protective coating has a glossy plastic finish. | A permanent, non-gloss, clear finish that eliminates glossy sheen and light reflection on black and white or colored surfaces. | |||
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Price: $6 - $9 | Price: $5 | |||||
Brand: Krylon | Brand: Winsor & Newton | |||||
Provides a permanent, protective gloss coating which protects art, crafts, and valuables against fading caused by harmful UV light rays. | Winsor & Newton Japan Gold Size is a dark, thin liquid that acts as a quick-drying adhesive for gilding. | |||||
How to Apply Shellac
Shellac can be applied with a brush or roller, or sprayed on. More often than not, however, it is applied with a brush. You may find that you will get the best results when applying shellac with a natural bristle brush, such as a black or white china bristle, or with a fairly good nylon polyester synthetic brush. Keep in mind that if you do use a natural bristle brush, you should go with denatured alcohol instead of ammonia for cleaning up since natural bristle brushes will not hold up as well when you are using water to wash them. (The bristles tend to spring and may not return to their natural form).
When brushing on shellac, work efficiently and keep up a good pace to prevent the shellac from showing ridges or marks. If you are using shellac as a sealant, then this is not as big a problem, especially if the coat of shellac will be topped by an oil varnish finishing coat. When applying shellac with a brush, don’t go back over your work or “back track”. Brush the shellac on and if you miss a spot, just get it on the next oat, or patch it after the shellac has dried. If you go back over the work or back track, you will cause ridges, lapping, and brush marks.
Using a roller for shellac can be a great way to get over a large surface easier. In fact, if you have a large surface, you may need to roll it to get the best results because shellac dries very quickly. The best roller to use for shellac application is a foam roller. This is because foam rollers are free of lint and they will apply a very thin coating, which is what you want. Perhaps the easiest way to apply shellac is via a spray can. You don’t have to thin the shellac, and it goes on much like spray paint. (You can also use shellac with a paint spray air gun). When using the spray type shellac, be sure to not spray in one area longer than another or you’ll find that the shellac “runs”. If this does happen, make a quick correction by using a brush to catch the excess runoff shellac.