My husband and I have a small dining room, and have been searching for over a year now for a trestle table that is 60", with extensions, in a grey finish to match our kitchen/dining area. We've had our eye on the Restoration Hardware Salvaged Wood Trestle Rectangular Extension Dining Table (see image below). Although this table meets all of our specifications, we are nervous to make this big purchase because RH does not apparently apply a protective coating to their wood dining tables. My husband and I do not want to have to worry about every little thing we, or our company, put on our dining table. In addition, we do not want to have to use coasters, place mats or table cloths every time we want to use our dining table. We love to entertain and plan to have kids down the road so these are things we need to consider before purchasing a table.

I have read multiple threads about this topic and it seems the Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C pure worked well (see image below) but most of the comments pertained to the natural or dark finishes. Has anybody used the Monocoat or some other product on a RH table with a grey finish and if so, how did it turn out? I realize a protective coating will likely darken the color but I'm hoping it won't be a significant change in the shade of grey. I recently purchased a wood swatch from RH so that I can trial a product on it before purchasing the table but I'm looking for feedback/suggestions on what specifically we should use. Please help! :)