What does varnish do to wood?

Question

I have this light brown desk, and I bought some varnish for it. I want my wood to be darker, is that what varnish will do? or does it protect it? not too sure..HELP!

Answer 1

Colorado is right.  Minwax makes something called Polyshades, which will accomplish what you are looking for.

Answer 2

varnish will protect it but not make it darker.perhaps a combination stain/polyurethane will do what you want.  good luck

Answer 3

varnish is only a protective topcoat, usually used now on exterior doors. it will tend to yellow whatever it goes over. if you are not very experienced with wood finishing, i would avoid the 'Polyshades' one-step product, you have to sand the poly off each coat to make it darker. i would suggest getting a minwax oil-based stain the color you want, and topcoat it with a "Wipe On" poly that you can apply with an old rolled up T-shirt. get some 220 grit sandpaper and follow directions on both products. this would be the easiest.

Hope that helps. Good luck!