Treating an oak banister- wax, oil, varnish, stain, anything else?

[Busywithsomething]

Hi, we've got a banister and another long piece of wood below the spindles which are wood and we want to treat but not paint. Could someone advise or recommend a type of treatment? I'm not sure what is the difference between all the above .

TIA

Wax and oil will require topping up every now and again to keep the finish, stain and varnish will not require as much looking after, plus will change the look of the oak.

Saying that for oak, I would never use stain or varnish, I have similar stairs and have used a wax, which I put on with a cloth, leave for a while then buff for a subtle shine. The banister will gain its own patina with use anyway.

Oak is a hardwood and does not actually need much protection. Oil would not be particularly good for stair spindles and banister, I would suggest a wax if you want to use anything. If you want to slightly lighten the look of the oak, you could use a lime wax.

Thanks @schloss , That makes sense. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me.

Hi again, can I please ask in what way you think oil would not be good for the banister? My husband has done a bit of his own research and was coming round to the idea of using oil. Any ideas, further thoughts on oil please?

You could use boiled linseed oil but make sure you use it very sparingly. Too much and it will become sticky which is the caution against using it.

If you have a spare piece of the oak I would try all the various finishes and see what you prefer both in looks and feel.

osmo polyx oil is great but be careful choosing the finish as many oils can darken the wood. I used the raw one which has white pigment to lighten the finish so it’s more like the original wood. No need to redo it regularly.