With apologies to pros: DIY Q on finishing (maybe sealing w/o staining?) new floor

A post that permits an efficient response requires, I think, some explanation so please bear with me while I give folks enough info to respond:

My house is almost done but I've taken on interior finish projects that I would ordinarily leave to a pro if $ weren't an issue and if I weren't prepared to let my pride in having done some of the work on my own balance out any disappointment with a less than perfect result.  

My light pour concrete floor has cured for 60 days while the house was built up around it and I intend to finish it in the next week.  I'd been planning to go with Smith Paint w/b products (Green Clean, a rented floor buffer/scrubber and their stain) but hadn't yet figured out my sealer plan -- but now I'm rethinking the plan entirely.  

STAIN question:  I like the look of the naked concrete -- it's a soothing, just-mottled-enough pale gray with hints of darker bluish gray and white.  I like the color and I also have a preference for things to look like what they are -- sort of a WYSIWYG approach to house design.  I just ran some sample tests with combinations of Smith Paints that brought me closest to the look of the naked concrete and then it occurred to me that if a w/b stain is not a functional part of the floor system but is simply aesthetic, then I might be able to entirely skip that step.  Thoughts?

If stain is necessary, then I'm still open to suggestion re types.  I have read some concerns about Smith Paints here in the forum -- and in fact found this forum in my effort to find any testimonials about those products that didn't orginate from their company.  I've since looked at Sim Stain's web page but it's been likewise diffiucult to find independent reviews.  I also just found something called Lastiseal.  I found one mention of it here in the forum, but no reviews of any kind.  Anything else I ought to look at before committing?

PREP questions:  

1.  If I weren't going to be staining the floor, I assume that I'll still want to prep it with Smith's Green Clean, which has the dual purpose (as I understand it) of giving the floor a deep clean and roughing up a tightly trowelled surface enough to permit the stain to penetrate the slab somewhat.

2.  I see that Smith's products have gotten mixed reviews here.  However, for anyone familiar with it -- I remain confused by their product info insofar as the GRINDING step is concerned.  Their info and videos are really clear about how to use the Green Clean and how to apply their stain, but info about grinding is plopped in the middle of it all without explanation.  I'm confused: if the Green Clean sort of raises the nap on the concrete in order to make it stain friendly, then wouldn't one want to perform the grinding after staining?  But that obviously isn't how it's used (and would, presumably, strip off the stain one just applied).  When/why would I grind the slab under either a staining or a not-staining scenario?

SEALING Questions: 

1. I have been researching penetrating oil (tung or boiled linseed) and carnauba wax options for sealing the floor, particularly if I were able to skip the staining step.  I read lots of very pointed warnings about the oils, here in the forum, however.  Any other home-grown options for sealers?  

2. The Lastiseal I mentioned above is a pigmented sealer -- which might be just the thing with a wax top coat.  If I went that route, am I right to think that the order of operations would be:

- Smith Green Clean

- A light sanding/"grinding"

- 1-2 coats (i'll using an HPLV sprayer) of Lastiseal

-  Carnauba wax.

?

Thanks in advance for any and all reactions/advice/help.

carache