Do a search for a wipe on poly. Minwax has one and I think it will be just what you are looking for.

Dave.

Thanks Dave, I found some info on it and also some helpful tips on how to make it dry faster for second coats. Nothing on how it looks though when done. Will it look like regular poly?

So in my search I also saw the spray poly's. Would that be an option? Anybody used it?

I've used the wipe on poly and it looks really nice, no lines and it's easy to use. You may have to do 3-4 coats as it goes on fairly thinly. Which is good since you don't want drips and thick overlaps.

The spray I think would be hard to control. I'm not good with spray paint, so can only imagine spray poly would be hard to avoid runs, splotches and uneven application.

Spraying a clear finish is not easy especially on something where you will have the possibility of overlaps. The wipe on will give you a nice look and as mentioned more than one coat may be needed to give you the look you want. Most finishes require more than one coat.

Dave.

There are many brands of wiping poly and wiping varnish as well as gel poly and gel varnish.

Wiping finishes are usually just diluted versions of the regular finish, i.e. 50% finish and 50% solvent. Because you have only 50% of the finish in the mix it will take twice as many coats to get the same protection as the regular brush applied version of the finish. Because the coating is thin and applied smoothly by wiping it on, sanding or rubbing out between coats is usually less or even unnecessary.

Gel finishes are thicker than regular finishes so that they can be applied to vertical or sloped surfaces without dripping or running.

Because wiping and gel finishes are applied with a rag or wiping pad rather than a brush you don't have a problem with bubbles in the finish.

Thanks for the advice. I bought the minwax wipe on in satin as that was the only one I could find. Will satin be fine. I don't want super shiny, but don't want it to look dull either.