I'm trying to achieve a mission-style finish on quarter sawn white oak and followed some advice I found online saying to first dye, pore fill, apply shellac, then use gel stain before sealing with polyurethane. However, I just tried putting gel stain over the shellac and it turned out really poorly. It seemed like there was no enhancement to the wood's appearance—definitely no rich two-tone color like I was hoping for. Plus, I ended up with a lot of lint and dust stuck to the finish despite using new tack cloths. I had to use mineral spirits to clean it all up, which probably removed any trace of the gel stain too. I'm starting to feel like this whole process is overcomplicated. My pore filler (Goodfilla ebony) is the only thing that seems to have worked. Has anyone else faced similar issues with gel stains over shellac?
1 Answer
From what I've experienced, shellac is really more of a finishing product rather than a base for stains—stains generally work best on bare wood. I think the idea of putting gel stain on shellac might be one of those woodworking myths. It’s certainly not the traditional method. The pore filler should do most of the heavy lifting in terms of enhancing the wood.
That's exactly what I thought too! I see a lot of people online insist that using dewaxed shellac as a base helps the gel stain stick better and adds depth, but I'm beginning to think it might just be a misconception. Your pore filler seems to have done the job well enough!