03-01-2013, 11:31 PM
My normal kitchen cabinet finish starts with sanding to 220 grit, any finer seems to be a waste of effort. Then rub in a coat of Tung oil, it seems to bring out the colours as well as anything, let it dry for a few days then hand sand with 320 grit to cut off any fibres the oil raised. After than oil based urethane varnish (which is getting hard to get with the new VOC requirements). The product I've been using the last few years is really a urethane with dyes to simulate the old yellow varnish colour. I thin it about 1 part varnish to 4 or 5 parts mineral spirits, (really thin) then rub it on with a soft cotton rag. This leaves no sags or brush marks and dries quickly, you could probably do 3 or 4 coats in a day. Real light sand between coats and you end up with what looks like a heavy oil finish but tough as nails and easy to wipe or wash, which is important in a kitchen.
Free advice is worth exactly what you payed for it.
Greg
Greg