Gracie- I'll have to look into dark wood seats. That's a good idea. I'm pretty sure dh will be against it (who knew they could have such strong opinions about things like this?) but if I get a furry brown lid cover I'm sure he'd be willing to agree to wood. I've been looking at faucets as well. I'm torn between a single lever (easier for kids to get warm water) and double lever (potentially easier for kids to reach since the levers are lower but they are also further away so maybe they aren't easier to reach.) decorpas- I have 3 girls under 6. One loves pink, one loves brown, and one hasn't declared a color yet. Luckily pink and brown work quite well together. I always think it'd be great to paint strips, but once I get one color down I'm no longer quite as motivated. I am planning to add some colors on the door, though. (Sorry about the double post- its a bit comical since it let me double post my previous message but it is rejecting this message since I've already posted.)

Your door looks incredible! I spent two weekends of my life fiddling around with various finishes and techniques to get new poplar to match the original in my house, and while I'm proud of my results, I see I have barely scratched the surface. Thank you for the tip about the Bartley's. I will definitely try it. Does the Bartley's give a slight yellowing to the color tone the way polyurethane does? Because if you look in my first picture, you'll see that the molding framing the door has a yellowish cast when compared to the door itself. I was counting on my last clear coat to impart a bit of yellow to bring it all together, but if the Bartley's is really clear, perhaps I should do something else first. I'm curious because in your picture it looks like you used the varnish for the exterior side of the door as well. I've been looking for something to finish the front door of my house, which is in an enclosed front porch, but still, the exterior side is subjected to temperature and humidity extremes that might not be compatible with some interior finishes. Do you think the Bartley's would work in that setting as well? Thank you, again, from steering me clear of a disaster. I am looking forward to trying waterlox on bare wood, but you are right, a penetrating finish over sealer would be challenging. The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn... :-)

Hi - sorry for the delayed response, we went away for the weekend. Hated to leave my new kitchen, but the kids deserved some sort of a summer after dealing with the remodel. My "Yawn" title is tounge in cheek, I figured you are all tired of all the cream cabinet/soapstone kitchens - but of course each one *is* unique, and I love seeing each and every one of them. Sundownr - I don't know if I had a comment on that light fixture or not, but my brother & his then girlfriend gave that to me as a wedding present. It came from a foo-foo artisan place in Cambridge, MA. It was high style for the times (88) :-) Rubyfig, the towel bar is a find from the bath department of Marshalls (but I saw the same ones at TJ Max and home goods). It's 18", and I think I paid $10 :-) Which is WAY less than the $140 for the Fusion Sonoma one that matches my soap dispenser. Here are some pictures for you: From Lynne's Kitchen Renovation From Lynne's Kitchen Renovation From Lynne's Kitchen Renovation Hi Kristin - yes, I love the hardwood except for the big scratch that they left in it :-( And, I am really sorry to say, I've got a buckle in front of the fridge! That's another post. I can't wait to see pictures of your kitchen with the backsplash - I decided to forego one in my kitchen, partly a budget decision, partly due to the size, etc., I am trying to keep it simple. Brutuses - actually, that's the Electrolux French door, but same difference about the ice, I'm sure. I don't have to worry about a dog (until my brother brings his to visit), but I'll keep that in mind! Penny, the cabinets *are* cream - and the biscotti is definitely on the yellow side of the creams, but the KD brought the biscotti and the other one (linen?) to my house, and I realized that it was almost an exact match for the paint I had done in our adjacent office and paneling. I love it, but I'm glad it's so easy to clean, because you do see every drip (although, maybe not every fingerprint, because I noticed them on the close up pictures of the hardware, but not before then :-) Thanks to all for the compliments - I do love it, and I think it will really improve our quality of life. It's easier to work in, excellent to entertain, and is easier to clean up. It will take a little getting used to it, but I'm finding it's coming a lot quicker than I thought it would, which is a good sign, right? Please feel free to ask any questions - I'm happy to help in anyway, I got so much help from this forum, I want to give back. Lynne

Here is a useful article and cuts through some of the BS on the label. http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/finishing/oil-finishes-their-history-and-use   I have not looked in a while, but last I did, Watco Danish Oil was about 6/9 mineral spirits, 2/9 boiled linseed oil, and 1/9 varnish. So it's a thin oil-varnish blend. In another writing, Flexner pooh-poohs Watco's claim that it "hardens from within" -- first, it does not soak in all that much and second, BLO is a soft finish when cured. Many people roll their own oil-varnish blend with equal parts thinner, oil, and varnish as the above article suggests. A very common practice. If you want difference, alter the proportions up or down. But you should not try to build much film with an oil-varnish blend as the oil will keep the film soft. They're designed to be wipe on-wipe off. If you put a puddle of an oil-varnish blend on a piece of glass and let it cure, you'll see wrinkling around the edges(oil effect) and smoother in the center (varnish effect) The higher proportion of oil, the more wrinkling. As far as how varnishes are made, you add a resin (phenolic in the case of Waterlox, alkyd and/or urethane in other cases) and an oil (tung oil in Waterlox, linseed or soy oil in others) It's heated and becomes a varnish. It's not oil and resin any more, just as when you bake bread it's not flour, water and yeast anymore. You can't separate out the components, but you can determine the attributes based on ingredients, just like you can tell white, rye and whole grain breads apart. Waterlox is a varnish, plain and simple. In the dozens of pages at waterlox.com where they talk about "tung oil finish" (playing on the tung oil mystique), there is one line that says, "We view our Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes as varnishes, and while many make untrue product claims, Waterlox has never made any claims that we manufacture anything but a varnish." https://waterlox.com/Support/Guide?id=55d7f899-9e95-430b-9788-6ee59ed27e30&q=