Mine still looks like wood too
Maybe less matt than before and with a slight sheen - it's more like a water based varnish than a plastic covering. I did two coats on two shelves with less than one pot, so you don't need much for a coat of it, but I believe two coats is best so you can wipe it clean (I just did the top of the shelves though). With the house you could just do the inside and the roof maybe.