What to treat my wooden worktops with????

[Claire1903]

Hello

I have just purchased a beauty salon and in each beauty room is a stunning solid wood kitchen work top.

The previous owner never got round to treating the worktops with any oil or varnish and the young care free beauty therapists that work in the salon have spilt eyelash tint all over them (honestly I could cry every time I look at them)

I am confident that the tint will come off with sanding down which I know I should do with the grain so I am going to have a go but I need advice on what to apply to the wood to protect it in the future

I want a hard wearing coating that can be wiped if anything is spilt on it, i.e eye lash tint, wax, water

After reading up on it I believe polyurethane varnish maybe what I should apply but I am not sure if I should apply oil to the wood before hand to hydrate it or if the varnish should go on the untreated wood.

Please can someone advise me on what I should apply, how many coats, how long I should leave between coats, should I lightly sand between coats??

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE

Thanks peeps
Claire

 

[Deluks]

Have you a sander, will be a bugger by hand otherwise. Varnish should go onto bare wood otherwise it won't adhere. Oil is normally used on kitchen worktops, but it needs lots of thin coats and needs redoing every 6 months or so.

I reckon 3-4 coats of pu varnish would do you. Do whatever the tin says, but usually you leave it 2-4 hours between thin coats, and lightly sand in between each coat with say 240 grit paper. Wipe with a slightly damp cloth after each rub down.

Some of the members on here could do with some beauty treatment, although you'll need a lot more than sandpaper to sort them out

 

[Claire1903]

Yes my brother in law has a sander and I am hoping that when I ask to borrow it he is scared enough to do it for me

Your advice is really helpful so no oiling before varnish and PU varnish I guess is Polyurethane Varnish???

I may take before and after pictures.

Thanks so much