The vision

The work in progress

What stuff to protect the oak table and bench seats?

TIA

I like Osmo Top Oil. Easy to apply and pretty hard wearing. Nice, simple finish, doesn’t change the wood much, just brings out the grain a bit.

2nd for osmo oil.

3rd for Osmo.

Nice diner!

Thanks – I’ll pick some up.

Dulux Trade polyurethane varnish in satin. Gives a nice matt finish that looks like wax, is easy and very forgiving to apply as it shrinks down well and doesn’t show drips or brush marks. Three coats rubbed down in between. Did all my doors and they look great.

I used Osmo Top Oil on our last kitchen that had oak worktops. I liked it a lot. Easy to apply and maintain.

But it is quite a soft matt finish. If you are after a shiny varnished look then look elsewhere.

I used good old fashioned beeswax on some reclaimed elm dining furniture we bought. Gave it a lovely slight sheen and sealed it nicely. Not to kitchen worktop standards, obviously, but good enough for occasional spills on a dining table.

Fiddes wax is another contender for the grain enhancing / slight protection it offers

Plain wax will show water marks really easy. I’d use osmo polyx hard wax oil.
Available in different finishes (matte/satin). I prefer semi Matt. Can order cheap samplers. I recommend buying from wood finished direct (google it) they deliver via dpd and stock all the options.

Yup, yet another lover of Osmo products here. Another good thing about their stuff is that it is all natural and food safe too.

Osmo polyx here,first rate stuff. Available in different finishes and tints if required.

That oak looks identical to the IKEA oak benchtops I put in our kitchen last year. I used Osmo polyx matt finish (or whatever the least glossy one is, could have been satin) and I’ve been really impressed. Two coats all over then a third coat around the sink and hob. Have spilled all sorts on it – curry sauce, tomato-based pasta sauce, red wine – haven’t had anything stain it yet.