Formerly located here in the NRV, Timebanker Carl Yates did some work for me in 2019, and he had the following advice for my mother and me about refinishing our wainscoting (wood panels) on the dried-out finish onto our 1898-era walnut upstairs/downstairs and stairwells & doorways woodwork:
"Shellac is the wood finish that was most likely originally used. The real stuff is a granular solid and sold in various shades of yellow, brown & red and you dissolve it in Denatured alcohol right before use. You can get it on Amazon or Ebay but you are going to have to play around with different colors available from different vendors and maybe mix your own. Avoid the stuff sold as shellac as liquid in paint cans. Once you figure out the correct mix of colors, you can get anyone to apply it. Paint contractors are probably not familiar with this finish, it is mainly used by woodworkers who work hardwoods like walnut."
So, we'll be looking to find labor to apply this shellac for when windows in the home can be left open next Spring (perhaps May), but want to find the materials & supplies and purchase them now to store (if safe, in our basement???) until work can commence. Or if that stuff isn't safe to store, at least be ready to buy it in May with some good idea of what it might cost, knowing how much of the stuff to be purchased!
We need someone who can figure out square footage for the application, and maybe help us find the right 'granular solid' online for the best price. Figuring on 1-2 hour time bank total for anyone local to downtown Christiansburg. Working from home a lot, so daytime is possible, or after work or weekends.
MUST WEAR MASK. My mother is 83. WE WILL WEAR MASKS. We have measuring tapes and I can help hold onto one end. Just don't ask me to do the math. I'm a writer, not a mathematician!!! (Do this with Scotty's inflection, Star Trek Original). :)