I hand-finished an armoire I bought at an unfinished furniture store about 6 years ago. I used a couple coats of water-based stain. I applied with a foam brush, let sit for a few minutes, and wiped off with a shop rag. I then applied three coats of water-based satin poly with a foam brush, sanding lightly with fine paper between coats. It came out extremely well with no streaks or brush marks. Most of the piece is vertical, so I was pretty surprised at that.

I didn't stain the top, but I did put a couple coats of poly up there. Makes dusting a heck of a lot easier. \:\)

I forget if I used Varathane or Minwax.