I know the topic may be exhausted but I have a small mint worth of counter tops coming into my store at the end of the week and have a simple question. First I should say that some of the counter tops will just get a mineral oil treatment and will be used as a sort of decorative food prep area. Other counters will be used for eating off of (not literally), for coffee service, and as a checkout counter. These areas will need a hard finish to prevent water and other schmutz damage.
Now the obvious choice I guess is a poly finish. The only thing is that the raw hard maple has very little depth or color and I'm concerned that a poly finish will just lock in that lack of "character." Is there any way of bringing out some depth in the wood before applying the polyurethane?
Thanks, dwhite