shellac

Pros

• I like shellac a lot. ... On the plus side, it's not too hard to repair and it cures really, really quickly.
• About the only two finishes that look good when spot refinished are shellac and traditional lacquer since with both of those the new finish burns into the old making the repair seamless.
• I mostly use shellac, and while I only need real sanding after raising grain in most areas, I often have to sand knot areas quite a few times with quite a few coats if I want it to be totally smooth at end.
• My personal preference is for shellac as it brings out the figure in wood nicely and if applied well can provide a very tough wearing surface that's easily repairable.
• the way to avoid the resin issue is to use shellac at least on the troublesome areas. It works like a charm.

Cons

• An amber shellac would also darken the wood a bit, but a clear shellac won't do nearly as much in terms of enhancing the wood. It is a film finish and does tend to look a bit shiny, so if you don't want that plasticy look, you may want t...
• Avoid shellac for things that get wet a lot—it can stain and isn’t very durable with hot liquids.
• Do not use shellac. It doesn't hold up to contact with liquids.
• As for durability: shellac will discolor with standing water (OK, if wiped off quickly); as for heat, almost almost all film finishes will melt if exposed to enough heat. Other weakness is that it dissolves in alcohol, so if you are goin...
• some finishes like shellac do not hold up to water damage well (easily repairable though).