I think your benchtop material choice really depends on how both you and your husband live and what level of natural wear you are comfortable with showing. Natural wood benchtops to me are very similar to natural stone or stainless steel. The surfaces will naturally age and show use, scratches and imperfections much more than say a caesarstone if it's a high use area but some people love that look and it goes well with an industrial or natural style. My wife and I thought long and hard about it but realised we want the benchtop to look as new and clean each time as possible so opted back for caeserstone (Ocean Foam) which hid small stains and dust :)

Hi White Elk, that's helpful although not exactly what I was wanting to do. What I am hoping to do is have a microwave above a double oven. Don't want microwave to be higher than 1450mm at the most, and preferably at 1400 and double oven is 895mm, so base of oven would be at about 500. There some photos in houzz which are bit helpful, but I was wondering if anyone had a similar set-up to what I'm describing. Thanks MmQc

thanks how2girl, but I guess my question is more about polishing concrete that has been sealed/oiled than it is about concrete benchtops (hence those threads were a bit generic). A bit more research suggests to me that a sander is the tool to use. I'm thinking of attaching some used carpet to a sander. I'm still unsure of whether to use a polishing cream - I think it perhaps can't do any harm though, and may add to the shine. Then the question becomes whether it makes sense to add bees wax over the top. To me, it seems it would protect the shine. But I'm guessing all of this.

We've installed a few of the concrete benchtops from Caesarstone (Raw, Sleek and Fresh Concrete). They are much easier to maintain than real concrete as they don't require polishing or resealing. The only drawback is they are harder to clean than the standard Caesarstone range. For low maintenance and durability with the concrete look I'd suggest a porcelain benchtop from either Neolith or Dekton. Keep in mind these two products have their own drawbacks too (more brittle, premium cost).