[jessmatt]

I know the pine-made furniture has a tendency to easily get scratched up. I was wondering if anyone has had any success at coating it with some type of varnish or finish that protects the wood really well.

[jessmatt]

I think I meant to say lacquer ...

[dmilamj]

I've had great success with the water based wood finishes. I did a couple of coats on an Ivar pine unit, I sanded the unit before the first coat, and then sanded between coats. It dries quickly, doesn't smell too bad, and dries very hard and smooth (after a light sand with 220+ grit sandpaper.)

I used a pad painter type applicator and Minwax Polycrylic: Minwax