Finish for red oak on stair treads

So I am particular to shellac. I would do blonde or super blonde dewaxed shellac since you want it as clear as possible.

That will still help pop the grain.

As far as not too slick. That can be mitigated with sanding after, with any finish.

Other advantages, > I'm fixin' to sculpture some stair treads from some rough cut red oak i

thanks for the reply. I've never even touched a speck of shellac, but i must admit after reading all the stuff on this group, my curiosity is sparked.

Shellac is soft and mars easily. Not suitable for stairs IMHO. I would use 1 coat BLO to pop the grain, one coat zinsser "seal coat " shellac for sanding seal and 3-4 coats water poly after. The BLO and shellac will make the oak beautiful and then the water poly won't give the lifeless look it would without the 2 steps before it. I do it all the time with kitchens and such and the look is fabulous. Amish red oak sounds like it is ~not~ kiln dried. I would be sure it is KD for stair treads.

RP

You need a tough finish, shellac as mentioned would probably be a less than desirable finish.

A lot of what you want is not going to be easily achieved.

You need a hard finish and a hard finish tends to be slippery.

To make a surface less slick you can mix in sand. but test with and with out for desired results.

The clearest finish will be water based.

If you absolutely must have an oil based varnish consider General Finishes Arm R Seal

What all sane floor finishers use ... polyurethane. Follow the instructions on the can.

Before poly, shellac was a common wood floor finish. It was durable enough, dried quickly.

Shellac's downside is alcohol resistance. As far as fixing spots, shellac beats them all. Why? Because it repairs easily remelting the previous layers for repairs. Lacquer does this too, but it requires more prep, and smells.

But yes, Poly is more durable. But can't be repaired. Poly w> >> I'm fixin' to sculpture some stair treads from some rough cut red oak i

What all finishers used to use before POLY? Shellac.

Not necessarily ... plain old wax was a finish of choice for floor finishing at one time.

FWIW, at this point you have well established that you are a proponent of shellac for hardwood floors ... no need to reply to every post that says otherwise ... you can quit now. ;)

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For flooring it's even bigger disadvantage is water resistance, so particularly if this is in an entry area that's a consideration.

It is, as noted here and elsewhere, the traditional/historic floor finish but there are reasons it was surpassed by the poly's and other floor varnishes and that prime reason is wear.

The key item in choosing here imo would be how much traffic the area will get and what kind...up and down once in the morning and then again when go upstairs at night; not such a maintenance issue. Three kids, two dogs and running up and down constantly; think again...

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I seem to recall regular ol' alkyd resin varnish being around for quite a few years before poly hit the scene. Pretty much the same stuff as today's "Rock Hard Tabletop Varnish", if I'm not mistaken.

It is considered a soft finish when compared to hard film finishes such as polyurethane or spar varnish.

Shellac is not commonly recommended for high traffic areas for that reason.

Shellac also doesn't tolerate alcohol spills well (but it does repair easily).

I'd use a good poly for stairs, or a blo-spar-turps blend.

scott

Still fairly soft even when fully cured compared to poly. Mars real easy. Period. No need to reply. We got ~your~ message.

RP

So why did they switch to POLY? Because shellac is inferior for that application.

scott

And before that... nothing! Bare wood was typical in the 18th century and much of the 19th here in America. BLO was was pretty common too.

John

no, not dried. But it's been sawn now for about 2+ years. In a garage, up off the floor. Thanks for the suggestions.

two (almost) senior adults. Twice a day travel.

well we don't make a habit of carrying open containers of alcohol up and down the stairs......

Ok, Shellac can water spot, leave an ice cold glass on the floor overnight and you probably will have a water spot.

As far as mopping, no problem.

Years ago someone did a scientific study on the supposed advantage of poly over shellac... Well poly just nudged shellac, it really was such a small margin on durability. Water testing showed poly was marginally better. Which surprised everyone. All the hype. Shellac is a great finish. But to those that believe poly rules... have at it. My wife kept watering a plant on the poly floor. Major damage. No difference between poly and shellac there.

My dog has destroyed our poly floor. My shellac floor was easily repaired. The poly floor needs to be sanded all the way down, and refinished.

I'll continue to use shellac... beauty, ease of application, ease of maintenance, and nice to know that it is used on pills, so it is safe to your system.

It is very hard, and therefore polishes beautifuly, buffs up to a high polished f> >> Before poly, shellac was a common wood floor finish.