Installing a vanity in master bath that I built myself, i am wondering what
is the best way to protect it from moisture. Considering shellac or
polyurethane any comments or suggestions?

Shellac is way to fragile for that environment. It is disolved by
alcohol, so spilling some cologne or other items in the bathroom will
be a solvent.

Yes, Poly is the best bet. It can be hard to get a good finish with
poly if you aren't familiar with applying it.

1. It can change the color of the wood slightly.
2. It can easily attract dust while drying because it typically takes
a long time to get a dry film.
3. Application problems from drips to orange peeling to a too thick
application that looks like plastic.

Not to scare you off, just impressing that you should familiarize
yourself completly with the materiasl and process on some scraps
before commiting to the real piece.

Many folks fine wipe on poly a great solution for application when you
don't have a spray setup, etc. Much easier to get a good result than
brushing only. Again, if you go this route, try out the process until
you get good at ot and a result you like.

I prefer 3 or 4 very thin coats. I thin standard poly 50% or more with
mineral spirits to make my own. Apply with a brush then wipe down with
a rag dampened with the same solution until almost none on surface at
all. If thin enough, you can barely tell it is on there but still get
a film protection. You can also build to a greater finish. Always
lighty sand between coats after 12 hours or more of dry time. Use 400
or even 0000 steel wool or maroon synthetic scrub pad. .

On Aug 29, 8:06 pm, "Rodney Taylor"
wrote:
Installing a vanity in master bath that I built myself, i am wondering what
is the best way to protect it from moisture. Considering shellac or
polyurethane any comments or suggestions?

"Rodney Taylor" wrote in
:

Installing a vanity in master bath that I built myself, i am wondering
what is the best way to protect it from moisture. Considering shellac
or polyurethane any comments or suggestions?



I did one with shellac as the base coat, and spar varnish wiped on three or
four coats over that. It has survived just fine so far.

The shellac was a first cut, and likely is not needed. Live and learn.
But it looks nice.

Maple and cherry. The cherry is just now darkening nicely...

Patriarch

Rodney Taylor wrote:
Installing a vanity in master bath that I built myself, i am wondering what
is the best way to protect it from moisture. Considering shellac or
polyurethane any comments or suggestions?



Go with the poly. Shellac doesn't like many of the cleaning products
used in a bathroom.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:06:28 -0400, "Rodney Taylor"
wrote:

Installing a vanity in master bath that I built myself, i am wondering what
is the best way to protect it from moisture. Considering shellac or
polyurethane any comments or suggestions?



Polyurethane. It's about the toughest finish I can think of at the
moment. Some (bathroom) products are made from alcohol which will
quickly destroy a shellac finish.

Phisherman wrote:

snip

Some (bathroom) products are made from alcohol which will
quickly destroy a shellac finish.

Products containing ammonia will also destroy shellac.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

David Starr wrote:


Shellac's chemistry isn't tough enough for bathroom use. It dissolves
in alcohol so spilled aftershave will leave a mark, and it isn't very
water resistant.

Fresh dewaxed (emphasis) is very moisture resistant. It's one of the
reasons it's used to coat medicinal pill and confections. Shellac that
contains wax or has esterified becomes less resistance to moisture.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

Nova wrote:
David Starr wrote:


Shellac's chemistry isn't tough enough for bathroom use. It
dissolves in alcohol so spilled aftershave will leave a mark, and
it
isn't very water resistant.

Fresh dewaxed (emphasis) is very moisture resistant. It's one of
the
reasons it's used to coat medicinal pill and confections. Shellac
that contains wax or has esterified becomes less resistance to
moisture.

What part of "dissolves in alcohol" are you having trouble with?
Alcohol is not "moisture".

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Phisherman wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:06:28 -0400, "Rodney Taylor"
wrote:

Installing a vanity in master bath that I built myself, i am
wondering what is the best way to protect it from moisture.
Considering shellac or polyurethane any comments or suggestions?



Polyurethane. It's about the toughest finish I can think of at the
moment. Some (bathroom) products are made from alcohol which will
quickly destroy a shellac finish.

Among the one-component systems a precatalyzed lacquer would be a good
bet, but that's not something you'll find at a BORG, because it has a
very limited shelf life after the catalyst is added.

For something with reasonable durability and very easy application,
Minwax wipe-on polyurethane would be a good bet.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:06:28 -0400, Rodney Taylor wrote:

Installing a vanity in master bath that I built myself, i am wondering what
is the best way to protect it from moisture. Considering shellac or
polyurethane any comments or suggestions?

I use a lot of shellac, but I'd go for poly in that environment.

J. Clarke wrote:
Nova wrote:

David Starr wrote:

... and it isn't very water resistant.

Fresh dewaxed (emphasis) is very moisture resistant.

What part of "dissolves in alcohol" are you having trouble with?
Alcohol is not "moisture".

I think he had a problem with "and it isn't very water resistant".

Chris

In article , Chris Friesen wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
Nova wrote:

David Starr wrote:

... and it isn't very water resistant.

Fresh dewaxed (emphasis) is very moisture resistant.

What part of "dissolves in alcohol" are you having trouble with?
Alcohol is not "moisture".

I think he had a problem with "and it isn't very water resistant".

Well, yeah, but it doesn't really matter -- even if shellac were completely
water-PROOF, it still would be a bad choice for a bath vanity because it
dissolves readily in alcohol (which is the primary constituent of most
perfumes, colognes, aftershaves, etc.). One aftershave spill, and the finish
is ruined.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

J. Clarke wrote:
Nova wrote:

David Starr wrote:



Shellac's chemistry isn't tough enough for bathroom use. It
dissolves in alcohol so spilled aftershave will leave a mark, and
it
isn't very water resistant.

Fresh dewaxed (emphasis) is very moisture resistant. It's one of
the
reasons it's used to coat medicinal pill and confections. Shellac
that contains wax or has esterified becomes less resistance to
moisture.


What part of "dissolves in alcohol" are you having trouble with?
Alcohol is not "moisture".


I guess it's the part of the quote above that says "it isn't very water
resistant".

Any more questions?

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

Doug Miller wrote:

In article , Chris Friesen wrote:

J. Clarke wrote:

Nova wrote:


David Starr wrote:

... and it isn't very water resistant.

Fresh dewaxed (emphasis) is very moisture resistant.

What part of "dissolves in alcohol" are you having trouble with?
Alcohol is not "moisture".

I think he had a problem with "and it isn't very water resistant".


Well, yeah, but it doesn't really matter -- even if shellac were completely
water-PROOF, it still would be a bad choice for a bath vanity because it
dissolves readily in alcohol (which is the primary constituent of most
perfumes, colognes, aftershaves, etc.). One aftershave spill, and the finish
is ruined.


I agree it isn't a good choice for a bathroom even though I use straight
alcohol to "clear" (remove the oil) after french polishing a surface.
If the aftershave spill was wiped off promptly it wouldn't harm the
surface.

I don't recommend shellac in the bathroom because of the products used
to clean the bathroom.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

Doug Miller wrote:


Well, yeah, but it doesn't really matter -- even if shellac were completely
water-PROOF, it still would be a bad choice for a bath vanity because it
dissolves readily in alcohol

And as Jack mentioned, ammonia, which is also likely to be in a bathroom.

In article , B A R R Y wrote:
Doug Miller wrote:


Well, yeah, but it doesn't really matter -- even if shellac were completely
water-PROOF, it still would be a bad choice for a bath vanity because it
dissolves readily in alcohol

And as Jack mentioned, ammonia, which is also likely to be in a bathroom.

Yep, forgot about that one... That would seem to make shellac a spectacularly
poor choice of finish for any surface within two feet^H^H^H^Hmiles of a toilet
in a household that has little boys. DAMHIKT.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Doug Miller wrote:

Yep, forgot about that one... That would seem to make shellac a spectacularly
poor choice of finish for any surface within two feet^H^H^H^Hmiles of a toilet
in a household that has little boys. DAMHIKT.

As a former little boy, I understand!