I've been using Waterlox. Just wipe it on.
RB
Ron wrote:
> What is a good clear finish for the interiors of kitchen cabinets?
> They're constructed of 3/4" maple ply.
>
> I used shellac on another project, but, liquids / water wasn't an issue?
>
> I've been told/read that shellac isn't recommended near wet areas,
> is this true?
>
> ThankX,
> Ron
>
>
"Frank McVey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> So c'mon, Patrick, 'fess up, as you Colonials would say - what do you use in
> your kitchen?
This applies to inside the cabinets only:
Former kitchen - pre-cat lacquer
Current kitchen - melamine
What would I do given a chance now? I'd put Formica over some good
marine ply. If that weren't an option, Behlen's bar top finish over a
shellac undercoat. Shellac is perfect for the insides of your dresser
drawers, but for under-neet-da-sink, there are usually too many
caustic chemicals to make it worth one's while. So there ya have it.
For all but the kitchen base cabinet, plain old shellac will do the
job, though most of the cabinet shops I used to sell to, preferred to
top coat with Waterlox. I think Larry Nocee uses the stuff and swears
by it.
O'Deen
You've been told correctly, Ron. Shellac doesn't like water or heat, or a
combination thereof. That's what causes the white rings you see when
someone puts a hot coffee cup on a french-polished table top. It's also
attacked by alcohol, and is quite a brittle, easily-scratched finish.
This is one instance where PU scores over shellac!
Cheers
Frank
"Ron" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:8wUic.20161$0u6.3362781@attbi_s03...
> What is a good clear finish for the interiors of kitchen cabinets?
> They're constructed of 3/4" maple ply.
>
> I used shellac on another project, but, liquids / water wasn't an issue?
>
> I've been told/read that shellac isn't recommended near wet areas,
> is this true?
>
> ThankX,
> Ron
>
>
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Hi, Keefy,
I love shellac, with a passion, and don't think I have too many illusions or
delusions about it, but I'd rather not use it in a hard-working area like
the kitchen. However I have an open mind, and an immense respect for the
Leprechaun of Lac, so I DAGS'd him as you suggested and came up with this,
which I quote below in its entirety, with acknowledgement to the
aforementioned bugmeister.
(I did try to refer to the link, but it came up with a 403).
Seems to me that O'Deen - in this post at least - is making a fairly good
case not to use it in the kitchen. I take the point that poly is certainly
not scratchproof (this failing, of course, has been a fairly regular source
of income for me over the years!), but it is tougher than shellac. I'm sure
that, like me, you've had occasion to scrape both finishes, so you'll know
that old shellac scrapes off a *lot* easier than does old poly.
I also take the point that it's very much easier to repair a scratch in a
shellac finish than it is in a poly finish, but life's too short to worry
that much about repairing scratches inside your kitchen cabinets, I'd say.
I sidestep the problem by having a kitchen whose cabinet interiors are
finished in Melamine, a soul-less, but pragmatic solution.
Now I know that O'Deen is also passionate about shellac - he liked it so
much he bought the company, to paraphrase an old Remington ad. But only an
utter cynic would infer that this had anything at all to do with his
advocacy for the product. I'm equally sure, as well, that he is a practical
man and would recognise horses for courses. I'd lay long odds that he
hasn't french-polished his fence.
So c'mon, Patrick, 'fess up, as you Colonials would say - what do you use in
your kitchen?
Cheers,
Frank
>I know you're all busy people, so I've whipped together a web page just for
this FAQ.
http://www.concentric.net/~odeen/oldtools/shellac/why.shtml
>To be fair, the problems with shellac are:
>
Poor resistance to heat. It softens at about 150 degrees. This means you
should not use shellac as oven mits, nor should you set really hot coffee on
your French polished jewelry box or armoire.
>Poor resistance to alkalai. Don't wash a shellacked item with ammonia.
>Difficult to spray in very humid conditions. Don't live in a swamp.
>Now, when was the last time you cleaned a piece of fine furniture with
ammonia, or set a searing-hot casserole dish on it? If you answered, "My
dining room table top," then Bingo! You've found the application for poly!
>And while we're on the subject of finishing myths, I'd like to debunk one -
poly's scratch resistance is good.
>I say no. If it were scratch-proof, yes. The only scratch-proof finish
would be to coat your project with diamonds. That's a little pricey.
>Eventually, you're going to scratch it, and when you do, you're screwed.
The notion of no-maintenance finishes is a pipe-dream. Best to have a
>beautiful, repairable finish like shellac or nitrocellulose lacquer. Think
about it.
>O'Deen
--
Shellac looks great over hand cut or machine cut dovetails, too!
http://www.concentric.net/~odeen
"Unisaw A100" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> You owe it to yourself to check the archives and look up a
> longish article by O'Deen on this subject. He did a very
> good job of debunking a lot of the Myths Of Shellac.
>
> UA100, who is adding the Myths Of Shellac to his list of
> common wooddorking myths...
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On Sun, 25 Apr 2004 19:41:56 GMT, "Ron" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>What is a good clear finish for the interiors of kitchen cabinets?
>They're constructed of 3/4" maple ply.
>
>I used shellac on another project, but, liquids / water wasn't an issue?
>
>I've been told/read that shellac isn't recommended near wet areas,
>is this true?
>
>ThankX,
>Ron
Shellac is a good choice for door or drawer interiors. I'd use a
"spit coat" which is just shellac with more solvent (alcohol) added.
What would ruin shellac is any alcohol-based liquid spilled onto them,
not water. Shellac would not be a poor choice for storing booze. A
polyurethane finish is good too, impervious to alcohol, although it
will require a longer curing time.
Typically, lacquer or polyurethane is used. If you have a sprayer and want
even better, try a pre or post catalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish.
Preston
"Ron" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:8wUic.20161$0u6.3362781@attbi_s03...
> What is a good clear finish for the interiors of kitchen cabinets?
> They're constructed of 3/4" maple ply.
>
> I used shellac on another project, but, liquids / water wasn't an issue?
>
> I've been told/read that shellac isn't recommended near wet areas,
> is this true?
>
> ThankX,
> Ron
>
>