I am building some cherry bookshelves for my son and am looking at two different finish options: The one would be a clear spray finish (I used EM6000 before on a cherry bunk bed and liked the results since I was mixing this with other white surfaces in the design). The other option (and what my son would prefer) is some hard wax oil. I have used Osmo polyx / top oil before on a small table and really liked it, especially the ease of application.

The one thing I don't understand about the hard wax oil is whether it may tend to rub off on the books over time. Sine the polix is originally used as a floor finish I assume it is wearing relatively well. But assuming and having the experience are two different things. Has anybody tried a hardwax oil for a bookshelf? Bad idea?

Thanks,
Johannes