To varnish, or not to varnish? That is the question

Which tower is better – the one with the varnish applied or one without? What are the advantages of applying varnish?

We have two very similar towers on offer. One is varnished, the other has a plain wooden finish with no surface treatment. Some of our customers ask, what is the difference between the finishes. Let us explain through the video which follows.

Take a look at this video which compares the varnished tower and a tower with no varnish applied:

The biggest advantage of varnishing is cleaning; a varnished surface is much easier to clean. Using only soap and water, it is very easy to remove any dirt and keep your tower nice and clean. A cloth, soap and water – it’s as easy as that. With a non-treated tower, the cleaning process is not as easy; a non-treated tower is much more likely to get stained with ketchup, jam, etc.

A clear varnish acts as a protective layer which protects the tower from mechanical damage, moisture, dirt, mould, damage caused by rodents, and from any scratches. In other words, clear varnish keeps the tower in good condition for many years. A coating of varnish is also good prevention against any timber pests.

A varnish coating has good water-resistant properties. Liquid droplets are unlikely to penetrate the wooden structure – they simply glide away without wetting the wood.

Here’s another reason why applying varnish is a good choice; a natural clear varnish will enhance the natural beauty of any wooden product. Not only will applying a layer of clear varnish preserve the natural colour of the wood, making the learning tower look beautiful; but also, any child will be happier in a beautiful tower.

Here at Tukataka, we believe that applying varnish to our learning towers adds value to the tower; this is why we recommend that you choose this option whenever possible.

One last benefit of varnishing tower is that you can choose different colour of the safety bars or step (it is free of charge). We do not provide this option for towers without varnish for one simple reason - quality would suffer. Non-treated wood is bit more rough and so the colour could peel off and leave stains.

A quick summary of the advantages of a varnish treated learning tower:

Easy to clean – simply use soap, water and a cloth
Moisture protection – a varnish coating prevents wetting the wood
Damage protection – prevents wood from scratches and other mechanical
damage that can occur with movement or use
Protection from timber pests –their access to the wood is limited when a clear varnish is used
Decorative – it will enhance the natural beauty of wood
Colouring safety bars and step is available only for treated (or coloured) towers