Ash benchtop finish HELP!

Hi, I recently had an Ash wood kitchen benchtop made. I'm trying to do as much as I can myself on my house but with limited knowledge.

The friend who made the benchtop suggested Danish oil to seal the timber. Fast forward a few months and my beautiful benchtop is already pretty marked and I'm devastated. I'm now trying to sand out the water marks as much as I can.

Going forward I am trying to work out what is best to use to seal the timber. I am after as matte as possible and as natural looking as possible. It's beautiful wood. From my research my thoughts are that maybe hard wax oil is my best bet for durability + natural look. Thoughts?

I am also wondering if the whole benchtop would have to have the Danish oil removed before applying hard wax oil? Or can it be put on top as they are both oil based?

All advice would be greatly appreciated as I am well out of my depth. Thanks 😊

Unless you want to recoat with Danish oil every few months, I'd remove all the old finish and get it sprayed professionally just in my opinion. That will give you the most hard wearing finish for a kitchen area.

If you want to DIY, sand all the danish oil off and apply Osmo Polyx or Top oil as per the can. Sand to 150, Roll on two light coats letting it dry between coats. You can denib with 600 grit between coats. Do not wipe off the excess like I see a lot of people do this is not as durable in my opinion. You can then buff with the Osmo liquid wax if it needs it. Getting a seamless finish with a roller isn't that hard with the right technique and a good quality roller. Allow to fully cure for like a week before getting it wet though.

I use livos kunos benchtop oil. In 5 years I haven’t recoated so it’s pretty good stuff. Danish oil is light in comparison and wears really easily. Most from the big manufacturers is just thinners and a whiff of oil.

I’d try Kunos first before full strip back and poly. O

I also use it on kayak paddles and it’s the best commercial oil combo I’ve ever found for water use. Nearly as good as real pure Tung oil, and gets a decent hard wearing finish for benches. Easy recoat too.

Welcome to the forum Heather.

Ross