Papier Mache

Is shellac or varnish better for papier mache?

If you want to make a bowl out of pm, what’ll give a better smooth shiny finish: shellac or varnish? What sort of varnish are you supposed to use?
And what is shellac anyway?

First, these days the word “varnish” is usually just used loosely to refer to coating an item with a liquid which will be clear, permanent after drying-curing, seals the surface, and often adds gloss as well.

Technically the word “shellac” refers to naturally-occuring yellowish orange flakes of a resin “lac” which are secreted by a tropical beetle and are then dissolved in alcohol. Shellac was used particularly in the past in certain situations before modern sealers were developed, but the terminology still pops up sometimes. So shellac is just one *kind* of “varnish” or sealer.

There are various kinds of sealers nowadays, and they come in various types …some are water-based, some are petroleum-solvent-based, some are man-made resins, some are mixtures … some give a glossy surface, some a satin or matte surface… etc.

What’s usually used for *papier mache* though is a grain-based liquid which is also adhesive –like wallpaper paste or liquid starch or even flour and water. Those are not permanent/waterproof once dry though.
Some people instead use a permanent “white” glue (like Elmer’s GlueAll, etc) thinned down with water because it is adhesive but also will be reasonably waterproof after drying.

This thinned down white glue is also used for doing “decoupage” (and for sealing all kinds of non-waterproof items like salt dough clay, paper clays, etc.)… it will also dry clear and glossy. For a stronger result (and usually more water-resistance) when doing decoupage, etc., a “polyurethane (acrylic sealer) is often used. Polyurethanes can be purchased in hardware stores in the sections for sealing bare wood–there are various brands and they come in gloss, satin, and matte finishes.

Back to papier mache…. it won’t make much difference which of those you use to get a “smooth surface” though. The smoothness will result instead from the type, size, and application of the paper you use, and how many layers of the sealer you use on top after it’s done to end up with a smooth surface.

Instead of using strips of paper to make papier mache, if you really want a very smooth surface, with much less work, you might want to add a layer of air-dry “clay” on top of the finished papier mache, or to make the whole bowl from it from the start. Air-dry clays like Celluclay will dry a little bumpy and need to be sanded before sealing but will be cheaper than the smoother air-dry clays like Creative Paperclay, etc. Then you’ll need only one layer of sealer (a few more will give even more waterproofness) instead of many since the surface will be smoother to start with.

(There are other “clays” you could use to make a bowl instead as well –polymer clays like Premo/Fimo/etc, 2-part epoxy clays, as well as earth clay which would need to be fired and glazed in a kiln to be waterproof).

HTH,

Diane B.

Fast Easy Paper Mache Recipe