Varnish?

[Honkycat]

Hi,

I have a reclaimed pitch-pine kitchen. It originally came with a waxed finish which looked really nice, but was totally impractical. Everytime there was a splash of water there was a white mark. So, I spent an age removing the wax, sanding the whole thing and then finished it with a matt water-based varnish. This seemed to do the job, but over time it has also allowed marking around handles, staining etc. Now, (after much harassment from my wife) I am about to sand the whole thing down again with my brand new sander. My question is, what should I coat it with that will do the job once and for all? I'd like it to be matt, not change the colour of the wood, but be hard wearing, stainproof etc. Does such a product exist? I'd really like to get it right this time, so any advice from the experts would be really appreciated.

Thanks very much,
Steve.

[RufflyRustic]

U-Beaut's Hard Shellac. I stripped and refinished my hardwood island benchtop with it about 3 months ago. It's still going strong (ok, it's early days yet). I sanded it up to about 240, applied about 6 coats of shellac, cutting back with 300 grit after the 2nd and 4th coats. It's ended up with a slightly rough finish and definitely is matt, not shiny or slippery.

I reckon it will last for ages now. Cleaning is just a wipe with hot water on a cloth, maybe a bit of detergent from when doing the dishes. I never leave it sitting with water on it, always keep it dry and clean.

If it does show some wear and tear, then it will be much easier to lightly sand back and apply another couple of coats of hard shellac.

cheers
Wendy

[Honkycat]

Thanks Wendy, not sure if I can get that here, but I'll look!

[ian]

I have a client that wants to build a wine room out of Walnut. Both sheet goods and some solid. She is afraid of the chemicals in the lacquer which we usually use to finish such a product. Will the mill work end up splitting and cracking because it is not sealed? Any help would be appreciated. Are there any other suggestions?

I suggest a few coats of shellac

the chemical carrier is alcohol, and alcohol is found in wine
the solid is, well, shellac, which is a natural product and used for some confectionary