If you do decided to go for vanish I would suggest that you use yacht varnish much more hard wearing I have used it on all my wooden floor
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hi Msclio, I forgot to say that they usually recommend two coats of varnish but in a bedroom it might not be necessary.

Hi, this depends on what sort of finish or colour you are wanting. The combined woodstains shouldnt need a top coat of varnish as I believe it is all-in-one. It will say on the can. If you want a lighter wood effect, oil based varnish would 'yellow' it. I used a product called 'Diamond Glaze' only available from Paint Merchants (look in Yellow pages) it gives a soft sheen without the yellowing effect, and is very hardwearing, but doesnt give the shine of a proper varnish.