On 4 Jun, 08:30, "Mark BR" wrote:

I've sanded it to clean it up and want to give some sort of protection but
NOT a gloss finish.

There's only one varnish I'll use on floors - acid catalysed
formaldehyde. Rustin's Floorcoat or Liberon's. Not cheap, but far
quicker, super-rapid curing, extra-hard surface and fewer coats
overall (finished prices are comparable with good floor polys).

These come in gloss and semi-gloss. If you want it duller, go over it
with pumice on a polisher afterwards. This is always a better way to
dull down a varnish, rather than stuffing the liquid full of talc and
making the whole thickness translucent.

If you want it darker, stain the wood first and then apply a clear
varnish.