I built two large octagon picnic tables of white oak two years ago - fun project but lots of work. No finish on either. One I kept covered in the winter at my house (from rain, no snow here) and the other not covered in the winter at my daughters house. Mine looks great, hers looks terrible. I will need to bring hers back to my shop and use some oxalic acid to clean it and lighten it, put some screws in to pull epoxied joints back together (relieve the stress on the top boards that have bowed upwards with saw cuts from underneath) and re epoxy them) and do some light sanding. I think I need to use some oil "finish" on hers. I don't want any kind of film finish as it will just peel. I'm located in central Calif. What a good outdoor oil that I should use, (want to keep wood color as light as possible)? Randy