"Paul Moore" -nospam wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I've been varnishing an old oak cabinet that we've had for years. I
started
out from scratch by sanding off all the old grunge back to the bare wood.
I've applied several coats of varnish and it gives the appearance that the
varnish is not evenly applied. That is, the darker grain seems to repel
the
varnish, whereas the lighter areas have taken the varnish no problem. To
the
touch, it feels as if the varnish layers consists of a series of tiny
hills
and troughs, instead of being evenly smooth.

Should I have used some kind of primer or preparation before starting? Can
I
use it now, or do I have to restart from the bare wood.

Many thanks,
Paul

I've had this effect recently with old oak, which I think (from its colour)
was American red oak, and while using acrillic varnish. The varnish seemed
to raise the open grain much more than the closed grain in between. I wonder
whether you rubbed down between coats?

When you get this effect it seems to help if you rub down between each coat,
rather than just after the first. Additionally you may need more coats than
usual, having sealed the open grain with the first two or three....

Charles F