You can, it will look great. I do wonder about the durability of shellac on a door (you didn't say what doors these were). Ammonia, found in many cleaners, will absolutely destroy shellac so something more durable may be needed. As for the waxed/unwaxed, the only concern about natural shellac (waxed) is that there is sometimes an adhesion problem with urethane finishes (and some waterborne ones as well). You can gamble, and will probably win, using natural shellac, but to be safe you may want to use dewaxed. I agree about the look of poly, and I don't use poly anything in my shop. But you can get some alkyd resin varnishes that look much better (to my eyes). My favorite (very hard to find) is Pratt and Lambert 38, an alkyd resin/soya oil formula and has a lot less amber than linseed oil formulas. Another good one, and easier to find is Sherwin Williams Fast Dry Oil Varnish (careful, they sell urethane varnish as well). It's an alkyd resin/linseed oil formula…more yellow than the P&L, but still a nice product.

 

Thank you so much! That is exactly the advice i was looking for. I love the look of shellac. All of the trim in my home is shellac. However, these are interior doors. They may be exposed to cleaning chemicals or water at some time. I might do the Pratt and Lambert 38. Would you say that the satin or gloss version of the varnish is closer to the shine of shellac?

 

I would say the gloss version is closer to the sheen of shellac, and it's the only one I've ever used (I'm a gloss guy) though I have 2 cans of semi gloss in my stash. If you want it to be less you could buff it down slightly with rubbing compound. Good luck finding it, I have to order it over the internet.

 

Yes you can use shellac in that manner.
You might consider a 1# cut for the sealer coat. The thicker the seal coat of shellac, the lighter the stain will look. On the other hand, if you go too thin on the seal coat, the cherry will still blotch. I usually start with a 3:2 mix of denatured alcohol to Bullseye SealCoat and make some sample boards. If it solves the blotching I use that ratio. If not, I use a 1:1 ratio.

Bullseye SealCoat is dewaxed, but the topcoat can be regular waxed shellac.

Good luck