NEED HELP!! Finishing an oak worktop

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Dalejones

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Ok so ive got a counter top to finish tomorrow, it's 19mm MDF with a oak vaneer, now the customer wants to keep the finish as light as possible, what's the best finish to use and how do I apply? I'm thinking of giving it a light sanding down with something like 320 grit then applying Danish oil? As its a counter top it needs to be hard wearing and easy to clean?
 
Just to be clear, you have actually installed a piece of 19mm thick oak veneered mdf as a counter/worktop ???

A few questions...
What size is it
How is it edged
How is it supported
What type of MDF

What type area is it situated in...
 
I don't know if it will help but iI built a 9m radius counter top in a college last year and faced it of with 6mm mdf with oak vaneer , it was finished useing osmo oil not by me but the decorators they said its easy to clean and touch up,
slate.
 

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Osmo top oil would be my choice, as I know it's extremely durable,excellent at repelling liquid but does mark with hot cups, but easily remedied with a quick buffing using some osmo cleaner, it's applied with a brush or cloth
Yesterday I finished a pippy oak breakfast bar with Blanchon hard wax oil ( walnut coloured) I'll give that a test tomorrow, my oak supplier said its as good as osmo so I've given it a go, time will tell!
 
why can I ask are you building a countertop from Veneered MDF? One heavy scratch and that's it! But aside from that osmo RAW. Best stuff to use , makes the wood look like it doesn't have a finish on it.

Next time if you are building a countertop make it out of solid wood
 
Lightest colour possible doesn't suggest using a Danish oil-type product. Any penetrating finish, being heavy on oil, will make a wood go about as dark as it can go as well as adding their characteristic amber tone.

If you want the wood to stay as light as possible it's a water-borne finish of some kind or lacquer you want to be looking at, which are usually completely clear or "water white". These can be heaps more resilient than your typical Danish oil anyway (more waterproof, higher resistance to scuffs and scratches) but at the cost of not wearing as sympathetically in the long term.

If you do decide to go with a Danish oil another thing to bear in mind is that you should apply more than two coats for good protection and you'll have to wait however long as needed between coats, so you could be looking at two days or more to complete the application, and then there's a long cure time on top of that before the wood achieves its maximum durability.
 

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