Just found out most 'antique' furniture flips use a 30 year old shellac recipe that's way too thick

I was at a workshop in Portland last month and this old timer restorer showed me his mix - 3 parts denatured alcohol to 1 part shellac flakes, not the 50/50 everyone online pushes. Turns out the thick stuff cracks after 5 years and ruins the piece underneath. Why is this not common knowledge in every flipping guide? Has anyone else run into this issue with their own restorations?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_barnes20d ago

Drove me crazy when I saw a chair I flipped just 4 years ago start peeling and cracking like crazy. The shellac from the big box stores is junk, once I switched to that thinner mix everything stays smooth and flexible way longer.

michaela1620d ago

And you're totally right, that same pattern is everywhere these days. It's like companies figured out they can sell us stuff that looks good for a year then falls apart, and we just accept it. I noticed it with paint too - the cheap latex from the hardware store gets chalky and brittle in like two summers, but a decent oil based paint will still be flexible years later. Same thing with furniture - anything from a big box store is made to survive exactly one move and then it's trash. It bugs me how we're all just supposed to be okay with buying the same thing again and again instead of making it last. What's your trick for telling if a finish is going to hold up before you even start?