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