My favorite finish on wood is wax...the old fashioned kind. Mine is called Antiquax.
http://www.antiquax.net/enter2.htm It may not be the best thing for my health...I'm not too sure as I use it only about 2 times a year and it's been awhile. It could have a petroleum base.
Anyway, what I like about it is that it protects the wood without leaving a lot of residue, and it doesn't seem to fingerprint very much. When my grandkids come over the toddlers flock to the coffee table since it's at their level. I used so much polish trying to keep up with it that I ended up with a gooey mess! I finally cleaned it all off with a polish remover and used the wax. Now all I have to do it buff it back to a quick shine. I love it! Once you make the initial investment of elbow grease it seems to take care of itself for the most part.
P.S. I use it on my over 100 year old kitchen table too...and it's held up beautifully. Just for the record, for me it's not so much about the shine or lack thereof either way, I just want it to feel smooth and be easy to clean and keep up.
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