Rant: A client in Portland told me to just slap poly over old shellac

I was refinishing a 1920s oak dresser for them last fall, and they insisted the original finish was 'good enough' to seal. They said, 'It's just a clear coat, right? Put the new stuff on top.' I had to explain that shellac and modern poly don't mix, and the whole thing would turn into a gummy mess in a year. I ended up stripping it back to bare wood, which added two full days to the job. Has anyone else had to talk a client out of a bad idea that would have ruined a piece?

2 comments

2 Comments

markm272mo ago

How do you get them to listen? I show them a test patch where the finishes react, because seeing that milky, wrinkled mess changes the conversation fast.

simonmoore2mo ago

Sometimes the problem isn't the chemistry, it's the history. That shellac might have a hundred years of wax, oil, and who knows what soaked into it. Even if the finishes didn't react, you're basically locking contaminants under a plastic sheet. It'll never cure right or look clear. I've had pieces where the old polish bled through a new topcoat months later, creating permanent cloudy stains.