I got into a debate the other day with a colleague about shellac - he was saying it's never used anymore, I was saying it's seeing a comeback because it's DIY friendly. I'm not super familiar with shellac and there seems to be a lot of contradicting information online. Anyone actually USED shellac before? If so, when? How did it work? Thanks!

I don't have any reason to use it but some people still use it and I've seen it used .One application is to use it as a first coat (sealer coat) The bottom line is that shellac is not a sturdy finish like polyurethane and will not hold up to abuse. However , it is a pretty universal primer and almost everything sticks to it.


There's some esoteric ways to finish a floor where shellac can be used . Some woods like maple and pine stain very unevenly.And staining multiple times really isn't the way to go for a few different reasons. The main reason being that the more stain you put on the floor ,the less chance you have of getting your first coat of material to bond well with the wood fibers. However , I have seen a 50/50 mix of dewaxed shellac and alcohol used to partially seal a pine floor. Then a faux painter came in and mixed a few dyes together with denatured alcohol. He wiped on the stain and it came out extremely even .I've never seen a more evenly stained floor. Then we came in and urethaned over the top of that with Bona Dri Fast sealer and then 3 coats of Bonakemi traffic.

I don't think shellac is making a come back personally but it has some uses.

Thanks for the response. Using it as a primer was the main way to go from what I could find online. Some sources suggested using it for DIY projects because it doesn't put off as many harmful fumes as other finishes.