Do I need to wait 30 days before applying shellac or can I do it after 2Hrs, or 24 Hrs?
Time between enamel and shellac
Temperature, humidity and thickness of the coats will radically change drying times (as will different batches of a product). For both acrylics and shellac, you are waiting for the solvent to evaporate (water for the acrylic and alcohol for shellac). The bulk of the evaporation happens at the being of the process. Nail saloons put shellac over acrylics on the same day. I suggest making some test samples using acrylic and trying shellac over different times. The acrylic will feel gummy when sanding if it is not dry enough.
Jun 22, 2017 at 15:46
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The product you mention, if it is the same as this, is an acrylic emulsion and as such, coalesces as water evaporates. This process takes 30 days. Since shellac is an excellent barrier to water vapor, I would expect it to interfere with the paint’s curing. If you want full strength from the paint (particularly if you might remove the shellac later), you had best wait the full 30 days, or a little less if your climate is hot and dry. I imagine you can rush it a little and still get a good result, but I have no basis to make good guesses about how hard you can push the timetable.
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answered Jun 20, 2017 at 6:07
piojo piojo
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As always, local conditions trump on-can directions.
Your drying conditions might be very different to those in the test lab in Behr, and anyway the number of coats you apply, how thick each one is, the interval between them, the moisture content of the wood, whether primer was applied first. these are all important.
The drying (and, if mentioned, curing) times given on paint containers are sometimes conservative and sometimes unrealistic* but Behr are right to say 30 days because that is about what it should take a waterbased finish to completely cure, in average or typical conditions.
Do I need to wait 30 days before applying shellac or can I do it after 2Hrs, or 24 Hrs?
Depends on whether your conditions are average or not.
Unless you live in the desert I would not dream of applying shellac in 2 hours much less 24. I think you’re almost certain to get crazing or some other problem (try a test on a scrap of wood).
Minimum wait before thinking about applying shellac I’d say would be about two days, being cautions you should wait a week at least and 10-14 days wouldn’t hurt.
I need to sand brush lines from the painted surface. How soon can I start the final sanding before applying shellac?
You can sand when a finish is hard enough to sand. That’s really the only standard to go by.
This doesn’t require waiting for a full cure (although after fully curing finishes will sand as well as possible). For many waterbased finishes you can get decent results in a day or so, and again waiting longer would not hurt. Also again, you can do a test piece and find out what a good interval between application and sanding would be for your wood, your drying conditions etc.
*To make the product sound easier to use than it is.
Acrylic paint + lacquer or shellac??
Can I put a clear top coat of lacquer or shellac over acrylic paint. This is the acrylic craft paint like you can buy at Wally World. I would be sure and let it cure.
Don in Murfreesboro,Tn.
Measure once cut twice and it’s still to short.
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16386 posts · Joined 2010
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The shellac will probably be okay, not sure and somewhat doubtful about lacquer. If you try it try on some scrap first.
Someone I consider a master woodworker once told me that a master woodworker is not someone who never makes mistakes. He is someone who is able to cover them up so that no one can tell.
15464 posts · Joined 2011
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Don; is it for interior or exterior use? Big or small objects? Will they be subject to wear such as being handled?
Have you considered the KRYLON type protective coating(s)?
hawkeye10 Discussion starter
2605 posts · Joined 2015
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Don; is it for interior or exterior use? Big or small objects? Will they be subject to wear such as being handled?
Have you considered the KRYLON type protective coating(s)?
Dan they are band saw boxes that I have made for Christmas presents . They are going to my nieces little grils. I have painted them yellow and will put some decals on them. After this I am going to quit using acrylic paint and go to other paints. I have been brushing this paint and I am not getting a smooth finish like I want. I was wanting to spray a clear coat on and maybe improve the looks. The only spraying I do is with a rattle can.
Don in Murfreesboro,Tn.
Measure once cut twice and it’s still to short.
15464 posts · Joined 2011
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Krylon is a rattle can!
How about stain?
Designer Stains Radiant Series – Mohawk Finishing
Their Radiant series are intense.
16386 posts · Joined 2010
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A little bit pricey compared to most other stains but I feel they are worth it.
Someone I consider a master woodworker once told me that a master woodworker is not someone who never makes mistakes. He is someone who is able to cover them up so that no one can tell.
4829 posts · Joined 2012
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In most cases you’re ok putting Nitrocellulose over Acrylic but not the other way around. Not sure about the Shellac.
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That water based acrylic paint is intended for art projects – it will never be very smooth and certainly isn’t very durable. I’d use some sort of poly clear coat to protect it. Krylon is fine for that. If using water based stuff in the future, you might want to wet the wood with water, let it dry and then sand it smooth before painting or finishing. You’ll get much smoother results.
For smooth paint jobs, I’d use something that has the word enamel in it’s description. Lots of rattle can options for that. You’d need to prime and sand between coats. I’ve gotten some pretty good results with a sanding sealer and 3 coats from a rattle can. Sanded progressively down to 1000 grit. For small jobs, it’s not too bad but gets expensive when you do bigger projects.
There’s huge number of options when you look at dyes and stains. I’ve stayed away from them simply because of the complexity (plus, I like to let the wood speak for itself). Though, if you get skilled in their use you can produce some pretty amazing stuff.
Measure twice, cut once and CROSS OUT THE WRONG MARKS.
