Garnet shellac can be used to change the color or tone of Red Oak wood.
Red oak generally has reddish tone to it, and often finished pieces of furniture or millwork will have a slight red or pink tint to them without the addition of any stain or dye. The addition of garnet shellac as a first coat can give the color of the finished piece a more brown tone, changing the feel of the finished product with realativly little effort.
Above is an example of this: the photo shows 3 test pieces – on the left is a bare piece of red oak molding. The piece in the center has a coat of Waterlox wipe-on varnish. The piece on the right has a coat of garnet shellac and a coat of Waterlox over that.
Notice the piece in the center with just finish on it has the traditional pinkish tone of red oak, while the piece with the garnet shellac has a warmer brown tone.
Shellac can be used to give wood a different feel, while adding less color than using a stain. At the same time you have added a sealer coat that can be top coated with virtually any finish.
It should be noted that with lighter colored woods, it may be wise to first apply a coat of a clearer shellac, such as super blonde to avoid imparting the garnet color directly into the light wood and possibly creating streaking. This is the process that French Polishers use: clear, color, and then clear shellac as a top coat.
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Because the quality of shellac flakes is affected by moisture, and we cannot control the care with which it is handled and stored after it has reached the customer, we limit our guarantee to 50 days - 7 weeks from the date of shipping.
Shellac Shack recommends that you keep the zip-lock bag sealed and that you store the flakes in a low humidity area. Some folks like to keep their flakes in the refridgerator where the humidity is low. This will also keep the flakes from blocking ( sticking together ) on hot summer days, although blocking will not damage the quality of shellac flakes. It's good to remember that on warm humid day there is much more water in the air ( per volume ) than on a cool rainy day.
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