Shoutout to the old can of shellac that cost me a whole weekend

I tried to use a can of shellac I found in the back of my shop, not realizing it was over five years old. It refused to dry properly, leaving a permanent tacky film that took me three full days of stripping and reapplication to fix. Has anyone else had a finish just refuse to cure, and what did you do?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_vera15d agoTop Commenter

Ugh I feel your pain. Shellac has a shelf life and after a year or two it's basically glue. Next time try a fresh can and thin it with denatured alcohol, that usually helps with the drying issue.

nancys903mo ago

Permanent tacky film" sounds rough, but three whole days? That's some serious dedication lol.

sean_murray3mo ago

My old apartment had that same sticky layer on every kitchen cabinet. I spent an entire weekend just on the small ones above the fridge. The smell of the cleaner mixed with that old grease film is burned into my memory. It felt like the job would never actually end. I had to take so many breaks just to feel like I was making progress. You really do need that kind of stubborn patience to get through it.