It is extremely kind of you to share your much valued knowledge and years of experience with people from all over the world, to say the very very least. I can hardly find the right words to express my feelings of respect, gratitude, and appreciation. My best wishes, Sir.
Being a novice in woodpaint and after watching countless (sponsored) youtube video's giving biased advice on the next "wonder" product your advice is a breath of fresh air. Why reinvent the wheel, products used for many years are perfectly fine. The sad thing is that your channel never showed up in the searchresults... found it by chance via someone commenting on a sponsored "woodworking" channel with all the expensive festool and milwacky stuff looking brandnew.
I have been waiting a long time for a good informational video. Thank you so much for showing the final steps in the finish. This is where a lot of other videos fall short. I have learned so much from you, thank you for giving all your knowledge.
Shellac is a great finish. For tables, I prefer natural oil finishes, e.g. clarified linseed oil or tung oil. They take a bit longer to cure, but can be easily refinished and hold up well to regular exposure to water.
Very informative as always. :) My personal favorite if I have time and it's solid wood, is to start with boiled linseed oil, then a few layers of shellac on top of it. And then same as you add a bit of wax last.
I am currently restoring old furniture from my grandma and this is what I needed as I am nearly about to finish the first piece. Thank you very much for your informations, glad to have such a kind person lime you and your team :)
I absolutely agree that some finishes have too many chemicals that I simply do not want around me. I like oil/wax mixes like Osmo for this reason, but they are not the most robust for certain items. Just stripped a beech chair that had been stained very dark and had an old cracked maroon leather seat. Took the frame right back to virgin wood, finished it with shellac and then waxed it. Recovered the seat with a light grey leather and now it is looking very Scandi chic!
Very helpful, i hate finishing as it seems to end up ruining my work. I usually just use linseed oil, very easy, beautiful finish and feels nice to the touch
Great video as always, and I love the table you are working on. Simple elegant lines very similar to the Ming dynasty furniture. Woodworking is truly a universal language
This is a great video, thanks Paul and to all of his team 👍 😀 your videos and your Masterclass are life changing. They attract new people to working wood by hand and seasoned carpenters and woodworkers to discover or rediscover the art of what is really handmade. Thanks for that.
Sound advice as usual paul . Thank you very much. I also use boiled linseed oil quite a bit but the wait for it to dry is a little trying for the patience.
I have not tried the waterborne finishes yet, I will give them a try. I truly have enjoyed your videos through the years and have learned a lot from you Paul. Thank you! Jim
Great Stuff Paul. So many finishes out there, but shellac is by far my favorite. Different cuts with denatured alcohol help perfect what you're looking for in a finish and you can apply many coats very fast. I like using a French Polish type technique with cotton balls and wadding. Your furniture always turns out so beautiful.
Good to hear consideration for the environment which will make me rethink my preferences. I make a lot of toys so I use non-toxic, highly durable Osmo finishes, but these are spirit based. It goes a long way, so perhaps I needn’t be unduly concerned … some idiot parked their helicopter in my neighbours field last night to go to a local concert - they took on 1.5 tonnes of fuel on the way back making my carbon footprint seem very modest indeed!
Paul, I have just come back to say thank you for your recommendation of the Thor mallet you use, the rubber and nylon headed one. I treated myself about six months ago, thinking it will come out for use with chisels and maybe assembly work. Honestly, it has become one of my main tools, the old expression goes, I don't know what I did before it comes to mind but I do know, I would damage the wooden handle of my claw hammer or mark the wood. It is a wonderful addition to my tool box, well one of my tool boxes shall we say and it is something I would buy again straight away if I lost it. Thanks again, so pleased you recommended it.
Hi Paul and Paul Seller Team, I have a question regarding finishes suitable for wood that would be introduced to compression and other stresses. For example the marking gauge you made, the pin / locking mechanism is based on friction/compression correct? Is a finish such as shellac and furniture polish still suitable or would ideally an oil be used such as tung oil which penetrates the wood and won't leave such a hard layer? I could be very wrong and maybe the harder layer from the shellac is even beneficial but I'm worried about it cracking. Also curious about the bigger picture, marking gauge is the first thing I thought of but I'm sure there are better examples for wood on wood contact / compression / friction. I'm just in my 30s and eager to learn and create long lasting tools / pieces. Best regards, Daniel
Thank you for introducing me to shellac in your videos, it's a wonderful product that brings out the beauty of the wood. So easy to apply, although i will admit I tried getting high gloss finishes using a pad for which I underestimated how time consuming and difficult it would be. I've found that using a dewaxed shellac you can then cover it with a hard waterbased finish to get the natural luster of shellac and added strength of the waterbased finish. (I have a pet bird who's feet can scratch and bird poop cleans right off haha)
I have used shellac for 40 years, from a sand and seal 3-1 then stained to customer choice and then lacquer accept where water could be a problem, then I go with some kind of polyurethane. My problem is that I’ve not found a water base poly worth a grain of salt. What do you use? I have found a good water based lacquer but not good enough for a table. I spray most all my finishes. I have started to use Rubio Monocoat. Very nice finish and tough as nails and nearly impossible to screw up.
If you are trying to attain high level french polish like finishes you will struggle when using a varnish to attain that due to the fact they do not buff as well when finishing. Shellac is a very fine buff finish were the surface can be rubbed into an extremely smooth finish which behaves beautiful with different levels of light. Varnish and different water based finishes are best suited to a medium level finish that is not of a fine furniture level finish. So something like a working kitchen table or an outside bench would not be suitable for Shellac. It really comes down to what you want personally and what you skills have been honed into.
I'm going to have to try the steel wool and wax bit, thanks for the inspiration. Do you have any thoughts on finishes for outdoor furniture (like your bench)?
There tends to be specialized outdoor varnish finishes that can do great in damp or hot conditions. Sometimes you have to experiment to see what you are happy with.
I was a shellac man. Still am. Love shellac. But I started using Tried and True danish oil. It’s thick as honey and if you’re not careful it’ll take a week or more to dry. But using a very thing coat dries wonderfully. But overall, shellac. All day. Just don’t put hard booze on it.
Thank you, Paul. Any suggestions for repairing a water-based varnish finish. I finished our dining room table with that, and my wife inadvertently sat a hot pot on the table. The finish underneath bubbled. Do you have any suggestion other than stripping and refinishing the entire top?
Thanks for the info on using the pad. I've used Ronseal in all its formulations since my late 'teens. It's a good product and as you suggest , I too use some 0000 steel wool for the final lustre that I want. I must try shellac, I have used tung oil in the past and still like it for some applications. Works well on the workbench top I find.
As someone who has watched 1000 hours of Paul, he has stated that shellac can be used as a "cut coat" to seal the grain before most finishes. I have used it as such on most of my projects.
As long as you use dewaxed shellac anything will adhere to it. I shellac all of my furniture. On table tops I topcoat with lacquer. HVLP gun lays it down beautifully.
Thanks for this. I, too, have come to the same conclusions: shellac, followed by wax, is good for small projects where the finish will not be subject to a lot of wear (eg a clock case, or small box.) If the surface will need to be wiped clean or subject to more wear, I go for a water-based satin finish varnish. I have never tried wax over the varnish - but I certainly will, now!
@Steve Bosun I would assume if you did some sort of chemical analysis you may find particles of metal but to try and control wood finishing in terms of particles would not be a successful endeavor.
Question I'm making a kind of kitchen top but for outside undercover area Im in Europe so temperature is from -20 in winter to +40 in summer Wood is European beech Top is 2.4m x 700mm x 40mm Glue up is from 5-6 peaces various width smalest is 80mm, widest 120mm. So im thinking to put steal squere tubes through the wood with rod inside of tube and tight all that up, but not from edge to edge but from roughly 50mm from live edge to the end of the top. Will that crack, move, bend or cup, is my question Thanks
I use Hydrocoate Resisthane; I have used several gallons of it. Any sheen is good, I like gloss, which I can knock down if I want a less shiny look. I find it to be better than General Finishes Waterborne finishes, which are a close second IMO. In the US, Hydrocote Resisthane is easily available at Highland Woodworking, they are in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dear Paul. All water based paint must have chemical additives to prevent mould etc. These additives can cause allergies both when used and later when it has dried, affecting the environment in the apartment long term. There is a lot of legislative work done to set limits to what and how much the manufacturers can add, but you cannot exklude these additives in full. Personally I prefer to use natural oil-based treatments (without solvents) when possible. It is obvious that the working conditions for painters have become much, much better with less use of solvents. But water-based treatments are not without risks for the craftsman or the end user.
I have a bookcase which was coated with danish oil. Unfortunately the oil is still seeping from the wood, weeks after completion, meaning the shelves feel greasy and this oiliness transfers to the pages of books. My understanding is that the person who made the bookcase for me didn’t follow the correct process when applying the danish oil. Is there anything I can do to stop this?
You could clean it all down using a series of sanding and alcohol. And then reapply an oil finish. What has probably happened is that too much oil was applied and it got sealed in and never cured. It could also be sap in the wood as well
I’m having problems with shellac being too lite or too heavy in spots. Little valleys that were not bubbles… I try to keep the same speed of travel when applying. I’ve tried Tried foam, applicator pads, brushes, 2#, 3# .25 lb and it still happens. Any help anyone?
Chemical based finishes are not good when it comes to throw away furniture. They are fine when it comes to long lasting furniture that are designed to be kept.
It is extremely kind of you to share your much valued knowledge and years of experience with people from all over the world, to say the very very least. I can hardly find the right words to express my feelings of respect, gratitude, and appreciation. My best wishes, Sir.
Being a novice in woodpaint and after watching countless (sponsored) youtube video's giving biased advice on the next "wonder" product your advice is a breath of fresh air. Why reinvent the wheel, products used for many years are perfectly fine. The sad thing is that your channel never showed up in the searchresults... found it by chance via someone commenting on a sponsored "woodworking" channel with all the expensive festool and milwacky stuff looking brandnew.
2 x ten min videos and I’ve learned a ton. Thanks Paul.
I like that nice and simple . Not complicated procedure of finishing projects.
I have been waiting a long time for a good informational video. Thank you so much for showing the final steps in the finish. This is where a lot of other videos fall short. I have learned so much from you, thank you for giving all your knowledge.
Experiment and see what you like.
Great tips for the water based finish on a table top. Thanks for sharing that Paul. Scott
Shellac is a great finish. For tables, I prefer natural oil finishes, e.g. clarified linseed oil or tung oil. They take a bit longer to cure, but can be easily refinished and hold up well to regular exposure to water.
Oil based finishes are tougher and longer lasting for daily usage. They can also have a beautiful finish when properly used.
Very informative as always. :)
My personal favorite if I have time and it's solid wood, is to start with boiled linseed oil, then a few layers of shellac on top of it. And then same as you add a bit of wax last.
Thank you Paul! I'd love more of these finish videos, they're very helpful
I am currently restoring old furniture from my grandma and this is what I needed as I am nearly about to finish the first piece. Thank you very much for your informations, glad to have such a kind person lime you and your team :)
I absolutely agree that some finishes have too many chemicals that I simply do not want around me. I like oil/wax mixes like Osmo for this reason, but they are not the most robust for certain items. Just stripped a beech chair that had been stained very dark and had an old cracked maroon leather seat. Took the frame right back to virgin wood, finished it with shellac and then waxed it. Recovered the seat with a light grey leather and now it is looking very Scandi chic!
Everything is made up of chemicals even the human body. And when people see them listed on industrial products they tend to freak out.
Very helpful, i hate finishing as it seems to end up ruining my work. I usually just use linseed oil, very easy, beautiful finish and feels nice to the touch
This is the second video of yours I've seen and this time, I subscribed. Looking forward to watching many more.
Brilliant video. Takes all the confusion I’ve had out of finishing. Clear, simple and concise. Thanks Paul.
Fantastic, Paul! Thanks a lot! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Thanks for sharing this knowledge Paul. Perfect timing for some of my projects. 👍
Thanks Paul
Thank you. I'm just now getting back into my DIY and this topic is perfect as I go back into the shop. Thank you!
You are much appreciated sir.
Great video as always, and I love the table you are working on. Simple elegant lines very similar to the Ming dynasty furniture. Woodworking is truly a universal language
This is a great video, thanks Paul and to all of his team 👍 😀 your videos and your Masterclass are life changing. They attract new people to working wood by hand and seasoned carpenters and woodworkers to discover or rediscover the art of what is really handmade. Thanks for that.
Sound advice as usual paul . Thank you very much. I also use boiled linseed oil quite a bit but the wait for it to dry is a little trying for the patience.
I have not tried the waterborne finishes yet, I will give them a try. I truly have enjoyed your videos through the years and have learned a lot from you Paul. Thank you! Jim
Thank you the great information, I was wondering the best way to protect my project I was working on
Thank you Mr. Sellers. Could you speak a bit on what to do with the brushes and rollers afterwards to have them last a long time?
I have learnt from you a lot thank you.
Great Stuff Paul. So many finishes out there, but shellac is by far my favorite. Different cuts with denatured alcohol help perfect what you're looking for in a finish and you can apply many coats very fast. I like using a French Polish type technique with cotton balls and wadding. Your furniture always turns out so beautiful.
Good to hear consideration for the environment which will make me rethink my preferences. I make a lot of toys so I use non-toxic, highly durable Osmo finishes, but these are spirit based. It goes a long way, so perhaps I needn’t be unduly concerned … some idiot parked their helicopter in my neighbours field last night to go to a local concert - they took on 1.5 tonnes of fuel on the way back making my carbon footprint seem very modest indeed!
Thank you.
Thanks Paul!
Nice
Very informative, thank you!
Paul, I have just come back to say thank you for your recommendation of the Thor mallet you use, the rubber and nylon headed one.
I treated myself about six months ago, thinking it will come out for use with chisels and maybe assembly work.
Honestly, it has become one of my main tools, the old expression goes, I don't know what I did before it comes to mind but I do know, I would damage the wooden handle of my claw hammer or mark the wood.
It is a wonderful addition to my tool box, well one of my tool boxes shall we say and it is something I would buy again straight away if I lost it.
Thanks again, so pleased you recommended it.
Fantastic video
Speaking of spilling alcohol, what’s your tipple Paul?
Excellent. Thanks.
Fantastic. can I ask seeing you use what looks like a 5 litre tub of shellac, what is the shelf life of a 1 in 4 mix?
Brilliant thanks for the tips
Hi Paul and Paul Seller Team, I have a question regarding finishes suitable for wood that would be introduced to compression and other stresses. For example the marking gauge you made, the pin / locking mechanism is based on friction/compression correct? Is a finish such as shellac and furniture polish still suitable or would ideally an oil be used such as tung oil which penetrates the wood and won't leave such a hard layer? I could be very wrong and maybe the harder layer from the shellac is even beneficial but I'm worried about it cracking. Also curious about the bigger picture, marking gauge is the first thing I thought of but I'm sure there are better examples for wood on wood contact / compression / friction. I'm just in my 30s and eager to learn and create long lasting tools / pieces. Best regards, Daniel
Thank you much Paul. Can I use the water-based finish on an oily wood like Rosewood?
Hi Paul big fan here what do you use to clean your paint brushes with Varnish.
Thank you for introducing me to shellac in your videos, it's a wonderful product that brings out the beauty of the wood. So easy to apply, although i will admit I tried getting high gloss finishes using a pad for which I underestimated how time consuming and difficult it would be. I've found that using a dewaxed shellac you can then cover it with a hard waterbased finish to get the natural luster of shellac and added strength of the waterbased finish. (I have a pet bird who's feet can scratch and bird poop cleans right off haha)
French polishing used both oil and shellac to produce a mirror like finish. Oil and shellac can be used to gather.
Great info! Thank you!
Thank you for the the video Paul. Could you recommend a natural finish that does not cause the wood to look yellow?
I have used shellac for 40 years, from a sand and seal 3-1 then stained to customer choice and then lacquer accept where water could be a problem, then I go with some kind of polyurethane. My problem is that I’ve not found a water base poly worth a grain of salt. What do you use? I have found a good water based lacquer but not good enough for a table. I spray most all my finishes. I have started to use Rubio Monocoat. Very nice finish and tough as nails and nearly impossible to screw up.
If you are trying to attain high level french polish like finishes you will struggle when using a varnish to attain that due to the fact they do not buff as well when finishing.
Shellac is a very fine buff finish were the surface can be rubbed into an extremely smooth finish which behaves beautiful with different levels of light.
Varnish and different water based finishes are best suited to a medium level finish that is not of a fine furniture level finish. So something like a working kitchen table or an outside bench would not be suitable for Shellac.
It really comes down to what you want personally and what you skills have been honed into.
@@bighands69 I am not a fan of any poly. I do like Rubio Monocot. I'm just waiting to see what it's like in two years.
I'm going to have to try the steel wool and wax bit, thanks for the inspiration.
Do you have any thoughts on finishes for outdoor furniture (like your bench)?
There tends to be specialized outdoor varnish finishes that can do great in damp or hot conditions. Sometimes you have to experiment to see what you are happy with.
I was a shellac man. Still am. Love shellac. But I started using Tried and True danish oil. It’s thick as honey and if you’re not careful it’ll take a week or more to dry. But using a very thing coat dries wonderfully.
But overall, shellac. All day. Just don’t put hard booze on it.
Hi Paul what do you add to shellac to colour it , I saw you use it on a plane handle
Paul what about for exterior furniture?
Thank you, Paul. Any suggestions for repairing a water-based varnish finish. I finished our dining room table with that, and my wife inadvertently sat a hot pot on the table. The finish underneath bubbled. Do you have any suggestion other than stripping and refinishing the entire top?
Do you have any thoughts on tung oil?
good man yourself Paul
4:49 is he using a piece of wood to clean up the left over drips?
Thanks.
No. It's the same paint pad I used to give the smooth brush-free finish to the main tabletop.
Brilliant video. I wish I had seen this thirty years ago. It would have saved a lot of mistakes and poor purchases.
What about sanding before the first coat? Can I apply shellac straight on to a planed surface?
You can. Sand after the first coat to remove nibbing but only if needed.
Thanks for the info on using the pad. I've used Ronseal in all its formulations since my late 'teens. It's a good product and as you suggest , I too use some 0000 steel wool for the final lustre that I want. I must try shellac, I have used tung oil in the past and still like it for some applications. Works well on the workbench top I find.
Paul, do you have an opinion about using shellac first, for a "warmer" color, followed by waterborne finish?
As someone who has watched 1000 hours of Paul, he has stated that shellac can be used as a "cut coat" to seal the grain before most finishes. I have used it as such on most of my projects.
As long as you use dewaxed shellac anything will adhere to it. I shellac all of my furniture. On table tops I topcoat with lacquer. HVLP gun lays it down beautifully.
Thanks for this.
I, too, have come to the same conclusions: shellac, followed by wax, is good for small projects where the finish will not be subject to a lot of wear (eg a clock case, or small box.) If the surface will need to be wiped clean or subject to more wear, I go for a water-based satin finish varnish.
I have never tried wax over the varnish - but I certainly will, now!
Danish oil and linseed oil are great options as well. It is all about personal choices. My favorite is Shellac.
What size is the large brush you are using, please?
I love a water based stain dye finished with a clear wax
What kind of steel wool was that?! Have to know, looked like a fine rag (?!)
Some perfumes and aftershaves will also dissolve shellac.
Hi Paul, does the wire wool not leave small steel splinters in the finish?
No. I have never found that.
@Steve Bosun
I would assume if you did some sort of chemical analysis you may find particles of metal but to try and control wood finishing in terms of particles would not be a successful endeavor.
Question
I'm making a kind of kitchen top but for outside undercover area
Im in Europe so temperature is from -20 in winter to +40 in summer
Wood is European beech
Top is 2.4m x 700mm x 40mm
Glue up is from 5-6 peaces various width smalest is 80mm, widest 120mm.
So im thinking to put steal squere tubes through the wood with rod inside of tube and tight all that up, but not from edge to edge but from roughly 50mm from live edge to the end of the top.
Will that crack, move, bend or cup, is my question
Thanks
Great content as always. 😊 Any link to the water based finish?
I have linked to the finish I think he is using
@@philrab6696 That's real nice. Would you like to share it?
@@zapa1pnt ronseal high peformance varnish
I use Hydrocoate Resisthane; I have used several gallons of it. Any sheen is good, I like gloss, which I can knock down if I want a less shiny look. I find it to be better than General Finishes Waterborne finishes, which are a close second IMO. In the US, Hydrocote Resisthane is easily available at Highland Woodworking, they are in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dear Paul. All water based paint must have chemical additives to prevent mould etc. These additives can cause allergies both when used and later when it has dried, affecting the environment in the apartment long term. There is a lot of legislative work done to set limits to what and how much the manufacturers can add, but you cannot exklude these additives in full. Personally I prefer to use natural oil-based treatments (without solvents) when possible. It is obvious that the working conditions for painters have become much, much better with less use of solvents. But water-based treatments are not without risks for the craftsman or the end user.
I have a bookcase which was coated with danish oil. Unfortunately the oil is still seeping from the wood, weeks after completion, meaning the shelves feel greasy and this oiliness transfers to the pages of books. My understanding is that the person who made the bookcase for me didn’t follow the correct process when applying the danish oil. Is there anything I can do to stop this?
You could clean it all down using a series of sanding and alcohol. And then reapply an oil finish. What has probably happened is that too much oil was applied and it got sealed in and never cured. It could also be sap in the wood as well
You are like shellac Paul, sweet (to the ears), durable and you learn to others things from your life Ahah
I’m having problems with shellac being too lite or too heavy in spots. Little valleys that were not bubbles… I try to keep the same speed of travel when applying. I’ve tried Tried foam, applicator pads, brushes, 2#, 3# .25 lb and it still happens. Any help anyone?
I would suggest doing a series of small boards as samples to build up a feeling for using it. You might be rushing as you are doing a project.
0000 steel wool?
Paul underestimated the amount of drinking I do in bed. 😉
First comment and first like sir ji
Chemical based finishes are not good when it comes to throw away furniture. They are fine when it comes to long lasting furniture that are designed to be kept.