Will varathane add depth to a piece of bare wood?

[canfossi]

I am refinishing a chest of drawers. I put some varathane on the wood as a test spot and it looks great. Not sure what kind of wood it is, but the piece is old. Dovetail joinery etc. If I put on three coats of varathane, sanding lightly between coats will this add more depth and darken the wood more with each coat? I am only using varathane, no stain under it. Hope you can help. Thanks Chris

[agmantoo]

Is the wood already dark or is it light colored? On dark wood like you would see on a gunstock I much prefer Tung oil. Actually I use Tung oil on all my projects. Not the stuff Formby sells. Just Tung oil bought off the internet. It is a natural product made from Tung nuts that has unbelievable characteristics. It is safe to eat off, will not water mark even if a frosted mug sits on it overnight, the sheen is controlled by the number of coats applied and in the future scratches can be repaired by just adding another coat.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.

You should stick with the finish that was original to the "chest of drawers". If it is "old"...it probably is either shellac(up to about the 1920's) or laquer after that. The type of wood will have alot to do with how you finish it. You should date the piece first and determine the type of wood. If it turns out to be an antique, you don't want to louse it up unless it's a beater.

RF