I'm in the process of installing 3" and 4" curly maple in my home and would like some opinions on the best finish combination to make the figure pop, yet still retain as close to a natural color. I was leaning towards a waterbased sealer/finish (Bona products), because my wife has some lung issues, but I'm unsure if waterbased will bring out the figure well enough. Bringing out the figure is more important to me than retaining the whiteness. Also, I was leaning towards a satin finish so any scratches won't be so obvious, but I'm thinking gloss will show the figure best. Any knowledge shared would be appreciated, Thanks!

I would use duraseal alcohol based sealer to bring out the grain and then top coat with Bona traffic.

Nothing pops figure like earth paints bio poly nt. Nothing