Neither, IMHO.

Go to a paint store(I favor Sherwin Williams) and get real varnish. Or varnish at Ace Hardware.

Shellac dries too quickly to use on large areas like a door.

And Formby's stuff is just sales tools, not long term finishes.

Ah, I did not realize that Formby's was that much different than other kinds of varnish. Thanks for the opinion, I'll look into it!

I'm guessing what handymac means by "real varnish" is non-polyurethane varnish. Here are some options:

- Sherwin-Williams Wood Classics FastDry Oil Varnish(they make a number of polys, but this is not one of them)

- Cabot 8000 series (the final number indicates the sheen). I can get this at my local hardware store, sometimes by free "ship-to-store." Previously, this product was McCloskey's Heirloom and was re-branded a year or two ago.

- Waterlox Original (this is a darker amber due to its different oil and resin base)

- Pratt & Lambert #38

And realize, whatever the label says, if it's waterborne, it's largely an acrylic finish. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just different properties than oil-based and polyurethanes.

Thanks, bmu, I'll look into those too.

Thanks for the info! I'm restoring a dining table and did not want to use poly varnish. I got the Sherwin Williams FastDry.