Painting - Staining exterior door

I've never stained anything in my life, so this will be a first. I just got a new patio door, it's a single french door, solid stain-grade fir, both the jambs and the door itself. At first, I planned on painting it, but decided that staining it would be nicer looking. My house is a 1920's Tudor Cottage. I do NOT want this door to have the glossy, plastic look that the former owner gave the entrance door. I'd prefer more of a hand-rubbed, matte finish....I really don't care so long as it looks older and NOT GLOSSY. Anyway, I tested a few spots on the jambs, and I want to go with a light walnut stain. I know you are supposed to sand, then condition, then stain, then seal. What do I seal with? I'm thinking that poly is what makes it look glossy. Any advice?

Off topic: Doors on the exterior of the house usually fail because moisture intrudes through the tops and bottoms of the doors because they were not finished.

When I have used the conditioner prior to using solvent based stains, I have been unable tell a difference in staining when an identical piece was stained without it.

I believe that the step you refer to as sealing means the finish coat. You might consider the appearance of semi-gloss varnish. It has a flatter finish than the gloss. If you want to use several coats of varnish, using gloss for all the coats except for the last will keep it from looking dull and murky as the partially flatted finish accumulates.

Most varnishes are polyurethane varnish nowadays.

You could buff the finish with a scotchbrite pad to knock down the sheen and then raise the sheen to an acceptable matte finish. This treatment works better with water borne finishes because they are ready to rub out sooner than solvent based varnishes.

Hope this helps.

That's the kind of advice I was looking for. Thanks!