We are pretty close to finishing a kitchen renovation in our 1810 cape and I just learned that my husband does not like the painted pine that we have in the rest of the house (original to the house but was sanded and repainted 7 years ago) because of the wear with kids and dogs. The floor in the kitchen was to be painted but now I am thinking of doing another finish to the new pine we had installed. After reading a few threads here it seems that pine isn't terribly easy to stain but I really don't want the high gloss of polyurethane. Do I have another option, possibly a wax?

The kitchen sits next to the dining room which has narrow birch flooring which is stained dark but does not seem to have any sealant.

Any suggestions?