Now, since honey colored oak is no longer very stylish, and at the suggestion of my stylin’ daughter, Ali, I decided to make a change.  And we are all very glad!

First, I started with the bar stools.   A nice improvement, don’t you think?

I lightly hand sanded the legs, and spray painted with a black satin finish.  No drips!  The top I sanded with a power orbital, removing the finish.  I used dark walnut Min-Wax Wood Finish for the top, and finished with a couple coats of clear satin water-based polyurethane.

Then, I really got busy!

I sanded, and sanded and sanded and….well, you get it.  It took a LOT of sanding for the top.

Looks better, right?

Again, I removed the finish and stained with the dark walnut, applying several coats of polyurethane to protect the top.  I lightly sanded the legs and this time used a brush and satin finish black latex to paint the bottom part of the table the the four chairs.

So, for more than a week’s worth of work, dinner in the living room, a mess in the house, and about $30 of materials, we have a new-t0-us table and chairs.  I think Dave Ramsey would approve.  So does Ali!