What finish for an oak handrail?

[RigidRaider]

Just getting new bannisters fitted with a nice pale oak handrail. Carpenter recommends Danish oil but agrees that a satin or matt varnish would also be good. I only use Dulux trade varnish in satin because it is forgiving of bad brushwork and three coats rubbed down between leaves a nice subtle satin finish on the doors I've done. I have no experience at all with Danish oil.

What's your advice please? What is so special about Danish oil? Surely it's just a vegetable oil like linseed?

 

[foxhole]

Danish oil feeds the wood and keeps it looking good , easy and quick to apply, varnish will wear off on a hand rails due to all those sticky hands.

 

[TheGayOwl]

Will danish oil not significantly darken the pale oak colour though?

 

[foxhole]

Colour affect is minimal and no worse than a varnish.

 

[r896neo]

Personally i would go with your varnish and then a coat or two of paste wax to give it a nice finish and hide the flat varnish look. This way you get the beauty of wax finish but not the longer term maintenence issues

 

[RigidRaider]

Well I went ahead with the first coat of Danish oil last night. It's the first time I've used it and yes, it's quite runny and easy to apply and soaks in quickly. The instruction is to rub the woodwork down with a cloth afterwards and this is an essential part of getting an even finish. This morning the handrail feels smoother (to my surprise) and hasn't darkened significantly.