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Rant: My 'quick' shellac repair on a 1920s dresser turned into a sticky nightmare
I thought I could spot-fix a chip with a new can of Zinsser spray shellac, but it reacted with the old finish and turned the whole top into a gummy mess. Has anyone else had a shellac disaster and found a way to fix it without stripping everything down to bare wood?
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olivia_harris195d ago
Ugh, that sounds awful. I read somewhere that shellac can dissolve with denatured alcohol, so could you try gently wiping the gummy spot with a cloth soaked in that? It might re-melt the mess so you can smooth it out without wrecking the old finish underneath.
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tessa_clark744d ago
Disagree with that method. Denatured alcohol will absolutely dissolve shellac, but it's a blunt tool for a delicate problem. You'll likely take off more of the original finish around the gummy spot than you intend, @olivia_harris19. It creates a bigger repair job. A better way is to use a tiny drop of shellac itself on a rag and gently work it into the sticky area. It re-amalgamates the old finish without the harsh stripping action. It takes more patience but saves the surrounding good finish.
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