"DGDevin" wrote in message
And be careful what kind of varnish or clear top coat you put over what
kind of stain. I recently managed to put my foot in the paint can (so to
speak) putting clear polyurethane over oil-based stain--oops. Paint
sounds like a better idea unless for some reason you want some grain
showing through.

I've done that hundreds of times, as have tens of thousands of others.
What was the problem?