GM wrote:

I want to achieve a limed oak effect for some new oak doors. Googling
has taught me that this seems to be a UK thing (typical - limeys) and
not that popular here, and nor can I find many products here. Has
anyone done this using products available in HD etc? Any tips
gratefully received

There are commercial "stains" available, but I haven't tried any of
them. I did a "pickled" stain on our oak railings that divide sunken
living room from dining room. The oak was old and yellowed, so I
stripped it. Grain too dark for our new color scheme, so I mixed my own
"stain" using pale taupe paint used for our trim in the rest of the
room. Just mix in some mineral spirits, brush on, let set a while, wipe
off. You could throw in a tad bit of linseed oil..............I'm
always mixing up stains for small projects and don't use any particular
recipe. The taupe paint on our oak rail made it the right color, but
allows some grain to show. I put one coat of a clear
finish........water base? Oil base? Who remembers ) It's been about 4
years and hasn't fallen off. There isn't much time to let this
particular paint set, as it dried quickly. If you do a google search,
you will find recipes online.