OT: Can you shellac a pinewood coffee table?

[Faithr]

My fil is staying with us after my mil's death on Thursday. He's keeping himself busy doing little fix up things around our house. He can't stand to be idle. Anyway, a long time ago my youngest drew all over our pine coffee table with a permanent marker. He's been trying to get it out to no avail. Right now he's sanding it down and wants to stain it but my dh likes the natural pine look and doesn't think staining is a good idea. I'm wondering can you just shellac it???

[Gretchen in NJ]

You could. Or you could use a poly....... Sorry I am a very bad speller. I hope you can finish my word for me.

[Alenee]

I don't know about shellac but you can definitely paint on a nice clear sealer. We re-did several pieces a few years ago and always used a clear coat after the stain was set. We also made some beautiful boxes out of light wood that we finished with clear coat. Home Depot/Lowes/any hardware store should have a good selection of clear coats.

 

Is your fil used to doing this? If not, I've got plenty of experience getting just the right smooth quality and would be happy to give you step by step instructions and tips. I'm a stickler for the glassy finish! :D My dad would do the stripping and I did the rest.

[nukeswife]

I would definitely go with a clear coat poly. Pine can be tough to stain evenly unless you use a wood conditioner first.

[Doran]

Whether it's the right finish for your coffee table is somewhat dependent on you and how you use the table.

 

Here's a link that you will find useful. And another one that describes some of shellac's disadvantages as well as its many advantages.

 

Good for FIL for wanting to stay busy, and for you for enabling that for him. :)