Curtis said:
frenchyd said:
coexist said:
I knew Frenchy would jump back in...
"poly is infinitely better..."
There are a number of choices for finishes. Each has it's own characteristics. I have used most of them. I prefer the natural and non toxic characteristics of shellac or wax. Four coats of poly is a serious plastic coating over the wood.
The OP's floor is 160 years old. If I were approached by a client asking about a choice of refinishing, plastic coating it would not be number one.
With pine, patina and damage over time is a given. If you have a dog then repairing the finish becomes mandatory. The pine is relatively soft, and the plastic poly coating is harder, so it cracks when the dog's nail dig in. Shellac might also, but easier to touch up. Wax won't crack. Curtis is right that wax makes over coating with something else difficult.
FWIW, I have many times used water based urethane over shellac for cabinetry, trim, and sometimes floors. On new wood, the water based urethane doesn't amber the wood , but the clear shellac does. Verathane Diamond over Zinnser pre mixed shellac for example. Adhesion is not an issue.
About 10 years ago I put my first shellac floor down up in my Billiard room. It’s where I stored wood and a lot of tools. I worked in my boots etc.
i had a 150 pound St Bernard who refused to let me trim his nails. He also was a lot of fun and liked to jump up on my chest, chase the ball and do other dog stuff. For years I used that room made stuff dropped tools boards and stomped around in my dirty feet.
A few years ago I advanced to the point where the room could be cleaned up and started to be used. The floors were in nice shape. You couldn’t see any scratch marks from my dogs I in trimmed nails. Nor my boots, or anything. Not perfect but once I washed it, it took me 40 minutes to put another coat of shellac on and an hour for it to dry.
Listen, I'm not saying Shellac doesn't have its place, but its usefulness is overshadowed by its fragility. Poly isn't perfect, but its utilitarian. Henry Ford used lacquer on all of his cars. It looked great for one week and then it was chalky and needed a coat of wax. Since then we've come up with far better coatings. Shellac is nostalgia and romantic. Who wouldn't want insect feces on their floor, right?
A floor gets walked on and abused. I just don't know why anyone would go the extra mile to go backwards to something inferior when better, cheaper, easier options exist. Doing a floor with Shellac is like buying a Jag E-type as a daily driver. It requires more maintenance, costs more to buy, and you're just going to beat on it in daily traffic. Poly is a Toyota Camry. It will last much longer, doesn't need as much maintenance, and you don't feel like you're flipping the middle finger toward Coventry when you accidentally ruin it with a wet shoe overnight beside the bed. It's a friggin floor. It's not a mahogany chaise, a Stradivarius violin, or a Jag E-type. It's a pine subfloor in a farm house. Sand it and then coat it with something that will make it last for 20 years. That means poly.
I also have to take exception to the talk about toxicity. Are you referring to the mixture of Ethanol, Methanol, and Acetone you inhale with Shellac, or the water vapor or inert oils you have with poly? Just because Shellac comes from an insect's butt doesn't mean you can gargle with it, and just because poly is "plastic" doesn't mean it clubs baby seals every time you open the can.
Curtis.
I do appreciate your loyalty to plastics. Errrr poly. And yes poly has its place. In commercial applications where cost is everything and quality isn’t even a consideration I’m sure your poly is just fine.
In addition applied by a professional it really does look like a clear sheet of plastic over a wood floor. Most people like that look and are happy to pay you the thousands it costs to sand and finish the floors in their house.
However there are those who seek more. They want the XKE, they want the Stradivarius, and they want the fine mahogany furniture.
The wonderful part is shellac is so easy you can do a nice job for so much less money than the professional will want.
I’m the worst person to paint and yet my whole house is filled with shellac coated wood. Look as close as you want to those big virgin growth Timbers especially the ones with all that beautiful burl. You’ll find no runs no drips no errors!! Done by me, that has to count for something.
Safe!! You bet! The AMA approve the use of shellac coated pills. Pretty good endorsement. I notice poly isn’t approved. ( sarcastic grin) yes they denatured alcohol with 2% of something so you don’t buy it instead of going to your Lacquer store and paying the taxes on booze.
As for durable. Let’s turn my 150 pound St Bernard loose on that poly for a few years. Then come over here and check out my floor. But yes tramping on the floor with my work boots and using it as a shop floor took its toll
40 minutes of clean up and a quick recoat yielded a very nice finish again. With no sanding!
XKE Stradivarius and fine mahogany furniture for less money? Hhmmmm what a nice neighborhood to be in. And for a much lower cost?
ps Home Depot stopped selling gallons of shellac when new management took over. I don’t know about Lowe’s, you’ll have to check them out. But Menards carries it in gallons. And you can buy it from Amazon
