I have nearly completed a dining room table for my daughter. I am now looking for finish suggestions. The top is 36x72 and nearly 1" thick. It's made of sapele. There are 4 boards that make up the glue up panel. Two are the typical "ribbon" grain you see in sapele, while the other two have some cathedral running along the outside edge. The base is made of alder. The daughter is thinking of painting the alder (not sure why you'd paint, but whatever)...the wife is thinking of staining the sapele. I told her that stain would "ruin" it and not allow the natural sapele to show. So, I'm thinking of an oil based finish and then something like armor seal on top of that? Or, should I be thinking shellac? I'm fairly new to all this and am open to any suggestions.
Thanks,
Kevin