Reviewed Jan 2014.
Getting a bit scruffier! Now nearly 2 years old - including 2 summers.
The section of the left which is just 3 coats of UV oil is showing severe breakdown along the top of the specimen, and it's starting to show signs of grey along the front as well.
The centre section, which is one coat of Sikkens Cetol HLS Plus light oak stain covered by 3 coats of UV oil is slightly better, which seems to indicate that a bit of pigment does help, which is hardly surprising given that sunglasses help as well.
Finally the one on the right has one coat of Sikkens Cetol HLS Plus light oak stain followed by 3 coats of Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 Plus (light oak), and this is still holding up well. There is slight greying along the front edge, but the front face and top is generally looking good. I reckon that if I had chamfered the edge, or rounded it slightly that would have held up as well.
Ignore the white spots - back in the summer some idiot :whistle: sprayed his kitchen doors nearby and the overspray drifted over the test piece.
Incidently, the back of the specimen which was treated in exactly the same way and is in the shade, is pristine, and it is slightly disappointing that a product that is marketed specifically as UV Protection has come out the worst. Whilst Osmo would probably claim with some justification that this is not a scientifically controlled test, and one specimen is not enough, this IS a real world test based on how people actually use the product in real life.