Clear coatings for interior timbers

Greg Peters <greg [at] patinations__com__au> writes

>... I am looking for a resilient
>finish which can stand the day to day abuse of the public trampling
>through a building, yet  might be easily removed if necessary with
>out damaging the underlying timber or glues, easily repaired, no
>cross linking etc.  A finish with the characteristics of shellac,
>yet much more durable than shellac.

You state that you wish to have a finish similar to shellac but not
shellac. What is wrong with shellac. If you use refined clear
shellac, it has a clear finish and is harder, coat with a wax layer
of microcrystalline and you have a durable finish that can be
rewaxed whenever necessary or when circumstance dictate wipe over
with turpentine and re-coat in shellac. It meets all health and
safety requirements, is non-toxic to use and most importantly is
reversible.

Test have shown that as a floor finish 2 coats of shellac and a
layer of wax faired better than all other finishes when used on a
floor. Granted it doesn't give a high shine when used this way, but
it lies in the material not on the surface thus giving a more
resilient finish.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 18:36
                 Distributed: Sunday, January 30, 2005
                       Message Id: cdl-18-36-022
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