This is probably more appropriate for the woodworking group, but I'll cast my line out and see what happens.
The finish on my cabinets is a badly worn varnish. I say varnish because its a flaky yellowish crystaline substance from the 1960's over plywood. After removing the varnish from the cabinet boards I notice that the cabinet isn't a natural wood color so I'm assuming it was stained. My question is what kind of a finish would be best for wood like this?
It's not like its raw plywood or something, it has a nice hard smooth finish so being unfamiliar with plywood construction I can only assume its a hardwood laminate or similar material.
I guess my question is, if I restain it, do I need to apply varnish to seal or are there better alternatives? What if I like the original color and simply want to seal/complete the finish from weathering (hands, kitchen smoke, traffic, etc..)
I'm used to working with linseed oil, I use it to refinish my gunstocks, but something tells me I don't want something that flammable in the kitchen.