Faux reclaimed finish (not paint)

[Obscure Designs]

I've been building farm tables from basic construction lumber.  My style is to beat, cut, gouge, divot and generally distress the wood, then finish with stain and poly so that it looks like old lumber or old furniture.  I like the look, but hate the plastic look of the poly as old furniture and wood didn't have a poly finish.  

Now I have a 100 year old slab of reclaimed fir I'm going to make into a coffee table.  It is 4x48x17.  I want it to be protected, but look old and not have the plastic film look. I want it to look satin. You know, like it's actually old.  What suggestions do you have for finish and/or what process do you suggest for finishing this piece?  (spraying isn't an option now)  Ask questions. I'm not sure what I'm forgetting.   Thanks for the help.

[wtnhighlander]

General Finishes Arm-R-Seal in satin is popular with many of us.

[Gilgaron]

You'll want to experiment to get the look you want, but if you want the divots to pop out you can seal the wood with a wax free shellac or Danish oil and then glaze over it with a dark gel stain.  Then top coat that as you see fit and if you want more color in the dings hit it with some pigmented wax.

 

Shellac is perhaps not matte but it was historically widely used.  It has been my favorite since I started using it.

[drzaius]

If you can find it, a flat varnish will give a sealed surface that is easy to clean but doesn't look like a film finish & has no shine at all. I did the walls in a bathroom with a venetian plaster finish, but it was quite soft & not really washable. So i applied an over coat of flat water based varnish that I found at a Benjamin Moore store. It's completely flat & looks just like the plaster with no varnish.