Polyurethane on Acrylic Paint

Hi,

I recently painted a design in acrylic paint on a piece of maple wood
that will eventually be subject to elements such as UV, weather, foot
traffic, etc. I've heard that marine polyurethane is the way to go to
protect this sort of project, but I'm having a heard time finding one
that is water-based and would not smear my acrylic paint.
Is any water-based polyurethane (I've found some with UV protectant)
going to do the job?

Also, what are the benefits/features/differences of matte, satin, and
gloss?

I've found quite a few water-based polyurethanes at this site:

http://paint-and-supplies.hardwarest...page=2&sortBy=

Any other suggestions for this project are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
A

In article
,
says...

I'm having a heard time finding one
that is water-based and would not smear my acrylic paint.

You don't need water based and the regular won't smear
your acrylic once it's thoroughly dry. I've used the
regular on all sorts of surfaces painted with acrylics,
but must admit not for exposure to the elements. Mine
is all furniture that has decorative acrylic enamel
finishes overcoated with polyurethane (Minwax brand).