Can you seal possible lead paint with shellac?

No! While "encasement" is a valid means of dealing with lead based paints, I would NOT recommend such a thing for something that is as high traffic as a chair. Every time you touch it, this will put wear on the finish, and you will wear through the finish, which will expose you to the lead paint. You can purchase a lead test kit at Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards to check for lead. If it is lead, what I would do is strip the chair, then repaint it with non-lead based paint.

I am sorry that this is not an answer for you, but I just wanted to say that I have a hichair almost identical to this one pictured. Ours is over a 100 years old. Looks like the same steel blue color.

Check amazon for the strip test! They're relatively inexpensive if I remember correctly. You press it on the paint and it will show up red if there is lead in the paint and yellow if there isn't. The yellow wipes off very easily afterwards so you don't have to worry about it staining :)

Thank you for asking this important question. I just learned a lot from this post!

Test for lead was negative. YAY now to seal it with the shellac.

Children tend to chew on things, like window sills, chairs etc. So if you know their is lead in the chair, dispose of it, why take a chance . Many children are exposed to lead, with things like this. Child's Health first !!

Something that no one has mentioned is the fact that high chairs now have safety guidelines. High chairs need to have the legs spaced far enough apart so that they won't tip over with the child. They are also required to have safety belts that anchor the child in and keep him from slipping out under the high chair tray. We have an antique high chair that we put a stuffed bear in and let our granddaughter play with that when she was little. But, for meals, she used a safe, modern high chair, and as she got older, she used a safety approved child booster seat. Makes me wonder how we all survived our childhoods before things became 'safety conscious'.

I'm waiting for the temperature to get above 50 to spray the shellac on it. I don't have a garage so I need to do it outside...

Use polyurathane, shellac will chip over time,

we used polyurethane on our butcher block countertop, a couple of coats. It hasn't chipped and we prepare food on it. My kitchen aide sits on it. Leave the food tray of the high chair natural wood like it is.

Safety regs for design specs A-side.

Kids due tend to chew on anything when they are getting teeth in. While I imagine the next owner will supervise the child sitting in it, if you want it to stay in the family for generations, save them the stress of figuring out if it's lead safe down the road.

Get it stripped by a professional furniture refinishing company. One who can dip it in stripper. Than use safe products on it. (Paint on bottom of try when it was stripped and that it's now lead safe.).

Here's why I suggest this.

I recently had a lead assessment done on my home, which was built in 1939, I believe lead safety products started in 1970's at least in this country. ( I know McDonald's had to recall drinking glasses made over seas with in the last 20 years. So you never know. )

Back to my real point.... My cast iron tub had lead in it, so it had to be resurfaced ( new enamel was painted, not the old enmael was removed than resurfaced ) after it passed the lead test even though the lead still lurked underneath. So lead can be covered up with a new product and not detected when tested.

The minute a kid chews or softens the surface (or it gets knocked over and chipped) they are at risk. Please postpone the gift and have it done right.

I bought a kit to test it for lead and it tested negative. It will stay here at my house and only be used maybe a couple times a year.

If it tested negative you're set to go. I an a comm. paint/surface coating Cont. of 40+ yrs. "Bulls-Eye Shelac is a great sealer & stain kill (it is also Isopropyl Alcohol cleanup) The best primer/stain kill is "Gripper" (Home Depot or Glidden store) Not Kills nor Zinzer 123.

Thanks , I'm planning on spraying it tomorrow. Temp should be above 50, I don't have a garage so I've been waiting for it to warm up some.

i work with old furniture at home all the time and found a lead testing pen at our local Bunnings Store , Australia , it is very simple to use .. to make sure it works i first tested it on lead painted strip of timber . So they do work and are not expensive .. cheers :)

I did test it and it was negative for lead. I sprayed a couple coats of shellac today. Now to make the straps.

Liz from Foothill Ranch is correct. Please reconsider using this highchair just as decoration. Yes, it is a wonder that many of us survived. But keep in mind the regulations that are now in place are due to severe injuries. No piece of furniture is worth turning a child into a statistic. I worked in the baby industry for 8 years and it was very frustrating to see and hear what people wanted to use because it was a family heirloom or "cute". Safety first is never a wasted effort. And did you check into the safety of the shellac?

Lead painted removal by dipping, will come out with more lead than you started with !

Check to see if there is a remediation company in your area that could safely remove the lead paint.

There are inexpensive test kits for lead paint. I believe you can find them at laces like Home Depot. That's the best way to see if the chair is safe or not. If it is not, don't just try sealing it, especially if the paint has chips or loose spots. It will be subject to peeling, chipping if the underlying paint in in poor condition. The best thing if it has lead paint is to take it to a professional paint stripper. We are talking about the safety of a child after all.

I have tested it and it tested negative for lead. I have sprayed a couple coats of shellac on it and it looks great.

Liquid plastic is the best to seal all harmful things in them.If you sanded it off correctly,it should have no lead paint left on it!

Project is finished. It tested negative for lead. Here it is with my daughters doll testing it out.

Looks like you have a strap for the waist. Is there a strap that goes between the legs to keep the child from sliding forward off of the seat?

i agree with connie. looks like an accident waiting to happen. also, i think plastic highchairs are easier to clean for feeding babies. a few wipes on that try may wear off the shellac coating.

Your chair looks great! We have a similar chair and also only use it a couple times per year, usually holidays. We keep an eye on the kids and they do fine. Nice finish!!

You definitely need a strap for the waist, and between the legs. My daughter was never left alone in her high chair either, but if you were too far away, she could "hop" the chair over closer to myself or my husband. The chair was brand new with wheel locks and cushy plastic legs. Please consider getting a new model, they do trade in's for any type of old children's furniture at Toy's R Us several times a year. They give you a discount on a new piece of baby furniture when you trade in any kind of old one! Its really helpful, great Program!

DO NOT SAND. In NH it is illegal, with a huge thousand $'s fine for sanding lead based paint (I think that is a federal law also) Just strip with a water cleanup stripper. Make sure the stripped paint is contained in a disposable drop cloth, be it plastic, cloth, paper, etc. It can't be thrown in the trash, It has to be disposed in "hazardous waste" ONLY. Call your "town dump" to find out what their rules are for lead paint disposal. Now unless there is a child that will chew on the items with the lead paint, it is actually recommended to use bullseye shellac or a specialty primer such as "Gripper" a Glidden product, found at Home Depot or other hardware stores & Glidden stores. Laws/regulations have been changing on "lead paint" per each state. Your City Hall/Town Clerks office can answer any questions on the laws in your area concerning lead paint removal or seal up.

You can get a simple lead paint test kit you can do at home from the hardware or home store. If it is lead, I wouldn't use even with shellac as the danger comes from the kid teething and possibly chewing on the wood, and ingest wood. From the picture it looks more like milk paint.

I would post a question instead of replying to my question. I think it will be seen better to get you some answers. Mine tested negative for lead and it only gets used maybe 2 times a year... I hope you find an answer.