Advise on Varnish

Hi guys,

I am planning to varnish my old cot. Its solid wood, heavy and box type cot with space for storage. The side panels have sunmica pasted. I would like to varnish the cot for it to get a new feel. Please advise. I am total noob at this job. I read through few guides on how to do a varnish job. But I am not sure if I can varnish on top of sunmica. Appreciate your help.