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I finally stopped using pre-stain conditioner after a guy in Reno showed me his blotch-free cherry job
He told me to just sand to 220 and use a dewaxed shellac instead, and after trying it on a walnut desk last month I haven't touched conditioner since, anyone else make that swap?
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betty_perry242mo ago
Oh wow that's an interesting trick, I've never heard of using shellac like that. How long did it take you to dial in the application so it didn't leave brush marks or drips before the final coat? I tried dewaxed shellac once and ended up with a mess, but I bet I was doing it wrong.
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emma_baker612mo ago
Start by thinning it way more than you think you need to. I read about that trick in a woodworking group and it saved me so much time. For real, @betty_perry24, if you're getting brush marks you're using it too thick. I mix mine about 50/50 with denatured alcohol for the first few coats, then go a bit less on the final one. The drips happen when you put too much on at once, so light coats are the way to go. It took me maybe 3 or 4 tries before I got the hang of it, but once you do it's super smooth and levels itself out. Patience is key, don't rush it.
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fionafoster2mo ago
Honestly, I was one of those people who just slapped shellac on straight from the can and wondered why it looked terrible. But this actually makes a lot of sense, now I'm kinda curious to try it thin like that.
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