I've a hundred year old farmhouse just outside an island town that is newly thriving. It's essentially a tear down, the land worth more than the house, yet I want to keep it going for another five years at least. Sometime in the Seventies the kitchen was bastardized, replete of formica on the countertops. I've now removed that formica, exposing unexciting wood with a few chips and scorched areas. It seems to me the least expensive approach would be paint under polyurethane or epoxy. Would anyone have any counsel to offer me? Any reason this wouldn't work (safely)? I do not know from refurbishing! No experience whatsoever. Thank you.