Redoing kitchen, have had montana cypress 3inch thick worktops made, what is the best way to seal them. I don't want to darken ie orange the colour, which is nice and light at the moment, and end up with a satin/eggshell finish. So far I have had water based varnish or cellulose 2 part Morrells sugested, any advice would be great.
If you wipe the surface with white spirit, you'll see what the effects of a clear finish would be. All sanded wood looks pale, but sometimes it has a pinky hue and the finish gets the blame. I wouldn't use any water based formulation on a worktop. Two pack products are normally very tough and totally clear (i.e. not cloudy clear)
I would use a mixture of 1/3 varnish (not water based), 1/3 danish oil (exterior not water based), 1/3 white spirits. Rub it in with a cloth wiping of the surplus, let it dry and then repeat probably over 10 times. This soaks into the wood and creates a very good seal against water. You can increase the amount of varhnish in the later layers if you want. However if you have an offcut I would test for colour.
Jonathan
If you don't have an offcut, test on the underside. ... but do test!
You may find that whatever seal you apply darkens the work surface (just because it is liquid). If so, you could try using a sealant that includes a tint. For example "3040 white" on:
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