Well, I almost did it perfectly...  After time the top, where I stained the table, began to fade and the black paint started to chip away.  The reason this happened was the fact that I didn't seal off the paint and stain with a clear protective finish.  This was one of my first ever DIY projects, but really....  WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING?!  I wasn't thinking... We live and learn, right?

To fix this problem I simply used a little black touch up paint on the chairs and legs of the table.  Once the paint dried, and I was happy with the look I used this lovely product to seal the job.  Now my table is safe from everyday use and paint chipping is history.

As for the top I had to go through the entire process of sanding, cleaning, staining, and sealing.  This time though I decided to fill in the crumb catching crevices on the table with wood filler.

Do you see what I am talking about in the picture below??  Each horizontal line on this table was actually a small dip in the wood.  They were nearly impossible to clean and drove me CraZy mad.





I simply followed the directions on the label.   When in came to sand the table down I made sure that the wood filler was perfectly level to the existing tabletop.

I then followed all of the directions from THIS tutorial to finish my table top adding a couple steps I will talk about in just a sec.  Once I completed the directions from the before mentioned tutorial I made sure to use this product to finish it off.



Finally I wanted to add a bench into this table equation.  I found one at good ole' Walmart that would do the job.  The Black legs were a perfect match, but the wooden top just didn't go.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and make it match.

The process of refinishing the bench I bought a Walmart is as follows.  This is the same EXACT process that I did to refinish my table top.  This is the RIGHT way!