Among traditional wood finishers, dewaxed shellac is preferred as the best protection for fine wood surfaces. Shellac flakes are dissolved in "spirit"  (denatured alcohol - available at most hardware stores) to make a finish that is considerably more "shop friendly" than other, petroleum-based finishes. Shellac was the preferred finish for the highest quality furniture in the last century. Much of the antique furniture today has a shellac finish.

A shellac finish becomes hard, durable, non-yellowing, and easy to repair. And it's nontoxic. "Orange" and "Blonde" colors of shellac allow subtle tinting.  Its fast drying-time speeds your production and minimizes dust in the finish. Hock Shellac lets you build up many thin coats, enhancing the beauty of the wood without obscuring the grain. Your wood surface looks clean, crisp and natural. Since each application dissolves part of the last coat, scratches or surface blemishes can be repaired perfectly. Shellac is also used as a "spit coat" or "sanding sealer" to help seal the wood grain on certain difficult-to-stain woods like pine and popular. It is thinned down more and applied as the first coat and is compatible with water and solvent based finishes for the top coat. You can read our tip on sanding sealers here.

As mixed shellac ages, its water-resistance decreases and its drying time increases. Since you mix the shellac flakes yourself you are assured the freshest and most durable shellac available. For this reason many professional wood finishers choose shellac in the flake form over pre-mixed canned shelac. 

Remember that because shellac is dissolved with alcohol, a finished surface can be damaged if a strong alcoholic beverage such as whiskey is spilled onto it and left too long. This can often be used as a test (in an inconspicuous location) to determine if an existing finish is shellac based. Shellac softens at about 150 degrees F (65 C) so avoid putting hot objects on a shellac surface.

The shellac kit includes solvent.

Item # 215910 - Shellac Kit - 10 oz Orange
Item # 215920 - Shellac Kit - 10 oz Blonde
Item # 215933 - Blonde Shellac Flakes (1 lb)
Item # 215934 - Orange Shellac Flakes (1 lb)
Item # 215935 - Garnet Shellac Flakes (1 lb)