Applying Poly over Shellac?

[Hammer5573]

I recently completed a tea table project that I’ve been working on for the past few months. It’s made of cherry and I’d really like to apply a French Polish; however, I know that shellac isn’t a good choice for a table top due to its intolerance to spills and scratches. If I do decide to polish the tabletop is there anything that can be applied over the shellac to give it more protection..?

[Mark J]

As I understand it, anything can be applied over shellac, but the sheen you get from the buffing action of the French polish process will probably be lost when a new layer of finish is applied.  Maybe someone smarter than me knows better.

[wtnhighlander]

Shellac is more durable that folks give it credit for. Alcohol spills are an issue, but otherwise, I find it holds its own against poly. Just use a good quality flake, and mix your own. The canned stuff is hit or miss as to age, so quality is unpredictable.

Having said that, a glassy surface can also be achieved with gloss poly, if the proper polishing technique is used. Example.

https://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-how-to/finishes-finishing/shellac-a-classic-finish-for-todays-woodworker

Personally, I use Minwax 'Tung Oil Finish', which is an oil/poly blend. Usually 3 thin coats applied with a spirits-soaked rag, scuffed with white scotchbrite between with minimum 8 hrs cure time per coat, followed by paste furniture wax and a good buffing. This gives me a very high gloss, but no obvious film thickness. The longer you let the poly cure, the easier it is to get a high gloss.

[Chet]

@Mark J Is correct you can apply any finish over shellac and he is also correct in that the French Polish affect will be lost once you apply a top coat of another type.

Garnet shellac looks real nice on cherry and you can just wipe it on and then apply your top coat.  I would highly recommend make you own shellac with flacks instead of any pre-made Products.  Once you decide, do a test piece.

[Immortan D]

I use shellac (from flakes) a lot in my projects, several coats and polishing with fine steel wool in between. I use wax for the top coat.

[Hammer5573]

Lots of useful information here; thanks to all for your professional advice...!

[Chestnut]

I use the can stuff that people don't like and have good results with it. I made quite a few things that see daily spills in the kitchen and there haven't been any problems. If the flake stuff is better i wouldn't hesitate to use it as a finish for a lightly used table.

That said standing water will cause problems, but that isn't unique to shellac. Poly with standing water will cause issues eventually it'll just take longer than shellac. Shellac is arguably way easier to fix as well.