a1606myrsclm Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 I'm putting together a built-in for my bathroom, in will all be Baltic Birch. Upper cabinet is shelves and the lower is drawers. I was going to finish the inside of the drawers and the upper cabinet with shellac. The outside is a face frame and will be painted. But I've been hearing shellac might get sticky and not to use anything on the inside, any insight would be appreciated. Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 Since it's only holding bathrooms necessities, I'd just hit it with a coat of poly and move on to more important things! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 I use a water bourne finish on my drawers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialbyfire Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 Since it's only holding bathrooms necessities, I'd just hit it with a coat of poly and move on to more important things! +1 on this. Just make sure to let it cure out in your shop before install. That should eliminate any offensive odor transfer Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 Odor from poly that is oil based sticks around too long for me, I've been using water borne stuff recently instead. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 I used shellac on my last batch, worked pretty well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 I'm with steve - a few coats of water based poly. Another option would be to buy pre-finished plywood for the bottoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 Lots of folks leave cabinet drawers unfinished, but my wife has problems with the dusty smell of raw wood. Sellac has been my go-to finish for interior parts, because it dries quickly and the smell isn't so offensive as poly. The only time I have seen shellac get "sticky" was when I used some that was well past its shelf life, and it took weeks to harden. Once cured, it was fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a1606myrsclm Posted September 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 Thanks for all the feedback, I was concern with the smell of poly, I need to install them pretty soon, thanks wtnhighlander for the confirmation about shellac. I like how quickly it dries. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 If you use Zinsser pre-mixed, just use a pretty fresh can, and it should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 I too find that oil based finishes in enclosed areas leave more odor than I am OK with no matter how long it cures. Shellac is a good choice when you want a surface you can clean. In the bath you can find chemicals (alcohol) that will not play well with shellac and this may be why someone reported stickiness. If you are storing a hairbrush, nail file, dental floss, a nose hair trimmer and so forth, shellac will give you a protective layer than can be wiped clean now and again. If you will store nail polish remover and pump aerosol products that may contain alcohol I would switch to waterborne poly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a1606myrsclm Posted September 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 If you use Zinsser pre-mixed, just use a pretty fresh can, and it should be fine. Is that a dewaxed or not? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Will I be choosing dewaxed or wax? Or does it not matter? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted September 15, 2016 Report Share Posted September 15, 2016 On the bathroom vanity I had about 36 hours to get finish on the drawers. I used Varathane Quick Dry Poly. There was no smell and each coat was dry to touch within 15 minutes and ready for the next coat within an hour. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Varathane-1-qt-Clear-Satin-Water-Based-Indoor-Polyurethane-200241H/100169146 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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