"Colin Campbell" wrote in message
news
I've just applied a second coat of Minwax Golden Oak stain on new red
oak, and I'm delighted with the results. In order to protect the finish,
does the assembled wisdom suggest a rub down with something like paste
wax, or should I go to a polyurethane coating? The piece is an entry
table, my major project in my 3rd year apprentice program, and the top is
a cast concrete slab with a line drawing of a carpenter's arms running a
plane. My tastes, I freely confess, run to the classic, old fashioned,
and some might say antiquated. The wax would be closer to my taste, but
perhaps the poly is better.

Either. The poly has protection against scratches, wax doesn't but hall
tables - especially with concrete tops - aren't usually to brutal treatment.