Okay, I get it. I finally get it. Took me a while, but I finally understand why
everything in the Yucatan made of wood is so highly varnished. And I’m finally on the bandwagon, desperately
trying to keep things from rotting.
When we moved to Merida I would see many brightly varnished wood pieces and wonder why they wanted to ruin the
look of the beautiful wood with those tacky, glossy finishes. I hated that look. When looking for furniture I would pass by
the varnished pieces in favor of those with more natural finishes that brought out
the natural beauty of the wood. I
thought it was just about the way the local denizens liked their wood. But after four years of refinishing,
revarnishing, replacing, and repurchasing furniture, doors, and windows, I have
finally seen the gleaming light reflecting off the high-gloss furniture. It’s not about beauty or any aesthetic,
it’s about protection.
We have replaced wood wall
hangings, furniture pieces, and every door in the house – in only four
years! So now I’ve come to realize how
much I really, really like highly varnished wood in my house. I have gallons of Spar urethane at the ready,
and I slap that goo on every piece of wood I see on the property. Now our wood pieces glow with the reflected
light of the sun by day and security lights by night. Our furniture can be used as mirrors. I stood in front of one of our room doors for
20 minutes before I realized I was talking to my own reflection!
And it doesn’t end with the
wood. Our concrete floors in the garden
glisten with acrylic sealer. The
painted window sills are now sealed to guard against dirt, water, and
mojo. Even our little diablo had to get a couple of coats of varnish to protect him from the elements. All that’s left to varnish is Steve;
don’t know if it will stop the deterioration, but I’m willing to give it a shot.
Now I LOVE the look of highly varnished
furniture. It looks so rich, so upscale,
so protected!
Living in a different country
really does broaden your horizons.
