I've only started using mine, but I've researched walnut and finishes so I'd be prepared for maintenance. If you do a google search for "gardenweb walnut islands" you will find many threads of members experiences with wear and finishes. Wood will scratch, so the finish definitely effects how much the scratches show. If you go with a more rustic finish the scratches will blend in better. I was initially going to do a low sheen satin finish as Craftart recommends, but I ran out of steam trying to get that finish just right. As you saw from my pix, mine is pretty glossy right now and scratches do show if the light is just right. Products make a difference also. Waterlox takes a very long time to completely cure. I made the mistake of giving my pup a bath in my sink. Even though I had the wood covered in towels, my pup managed to scratch it. I'm not worried about it though, as my island must be useful and it did work great for bathing my big pup.

Remember, scratches can be repaired with a light sanding and another coat (depends on the finish product you choose) and I figure I'll just scuff and add another coat of waterlox at some point.

I believe the wood can get lighter if in full sun and from what I read on Waterlox, the finish will dull in time which is the other reason I stuck with the original finish.

Hopefully, some of the many GWers with walnut will chime in with their experiences.

What technical difficulties are you having?

I've been enjoying my black walnut island counter for almost three years. My woodworker favors Osmo Polyx Oil for his counters so I trusted his experience despite wanting Waterlox like so many others here have used. I love the Osmo for how natural the counter looks and feels. It doesn't feel like there's any kind of coating on it. The color of my counter hasn't changed that I've noticed. The finish is a beautiful satin.

(Old photos)

Based on all I've read here and my almost three years of use, here is what I know about the differences between Osmo and Waterlox.

-Osmo can be touched up in any spot at any time (or the whole counter can be re-coated at any time) because the Osmo doesn't coat the wood like Waterlox. Re-applying Osmo is simple. Wipe on and wipe off. No sanding required. Waterlox needs to be sanded first. You can, however, give an Osmo counter a sanding in any spot at any time and wipe more Osmo over the area.

-The color of the wood remains the same with Osmo. Waterlox "ambers" the wood, giving it a yellow-ish tint.

-I have many scratches on my counter. The reason I posted the photo of my counter with the cat is to show one of the main scratch culprits. She, her sister, and mother like to party on the counter when the two-legged family is asleep. It seems that Waterlox scratches less because of the thick coating it provides. Again, though, these scratches can be sanded at any time.

-Waterlox needs multiple coats with special skill to apply it to avoid the little bubbles on the surface. Osmo is a wipe on, wipe off application.

-Waterlox needs a lengthy curing time to harden. An Osmo counter can be used almost immediately after a re-application. For the initial treatment, Osmo does need a couple of days to cure.

-Osmo isn't very water resistant. Water left in one spot for more than a few minutes means that the wood absorbed some water. A ghost spot will remain for a small amount of time (could be 10 minutes or could be an hour depending) after wiping. Waterlox will not absorb water left on it like that. This all means that I need to be vigilant with drips and projects involving lots of water to make sure I wipe regularly.

Feel free to ask any questions. Despite the scratches and dents, I still love my walnut and would do it again in a heartbeat.