Hey everyone! I'm a handyman from Norway, and I'm working on transforming a room in my 115-year-old house into an Irish/British sports bar for watching Formula 1, darts, and hosting parties. I've removed some walls and want to make a bartop from the dense old pine I've uncovered. I'm planning to glue up the pieces to make it about 2" thick. However, since pine is naturally light in color, I'm looking for suggestions on products available in Norway that can help darken the wood while giving it a nice shine. Any advice would be much appreciated!
2 Answers
For darkening the pine and giving it a warm color, I'd suggest using an oil-based finish. It’ll deepen the hue and make it shine nicely. An oil-based polyurethane would work well—just make sure to apply at least five coats for durability, especially since it's going to see some action! Water-based finishes can also darken it a bit, but be wary that some might keep it looking lighter than you want. By the way, you've got a couple of weeks until the Dutch GP, so get to it!
I usually go for bartop epoxy for surfaces like this. It's super durable and holds up against spills and knocks. It will keep the wood looking wet without drastically changing the color. If you want something that barely affects the color, try Sher-Wood water white conversion varnish. That might be available in Norway, but you could also check for other water white options like Aquaseal. Just a heads-up though, if you want a darker finish like walnut or dark oak, you might need to consider stains before applying these finishes.