Noob DIY-er building a large mud room built in. All of it will be painted except a small part of the bench seat with a piece of walnut that I have. Any suggestions on how to finish this? With some other stuff I've just rubbed on some boos cutting board oil which looks great and would be easy to reapply in the future. It will be a bit tougher to reapply in the future on this project if it starts drying out or anything.

Should I spring for some Rubio monocoat or anything else that would be a simple and quick process? Would I just get the Rubio monocoat in the walnut color to maintain the appearance of this board?

Thanks

Honestly poly would be fine for an application like that. Oil finishes are great for stuff that doesn't get a ton of wear but on a bench seat you might want the extra protection of a poly or something else.

I use Monocoat a lot but I use it more for desks and ornamental pieces. Monocoat is also really matte unless you add the finisher as a second step and then the best sheen you'll get is a semi-gloss if you work really hard at it. You could also do Monocoat and then a ceramic. It works really well, but if you think Monocoat is expensive you don't want to start down the ceramic rabbit hole.

As yaterag said, poly is a good choice, both fairly easy to apply and economical. I prefer solvent based.

Another easy finish is Waterlox. Not terribly expensive, thinner than poly, can be brushed, wiped, or sprayed on. I brush or spray on a few coats(3-4), one per day, no sanding needed in between coats. Then let it dry for 3-4 days, give a light sanding with 280 or 320 grit. Then rub out with steel wool and wax.

Have also used OSMO, similar to Rubio that it is a wax/oil, a bit cheaper, gives a nice finish and easy to reapply. Would still use poly or Waterlox if wear and tear is an issue.