I would likely leave it as is and I use table cloths anyhow. However if it bothers you, I think the first thing I would suggest is cleaning it to see if some of the difference is simply dirt. If it was waxed sometimes the wax will yellow over time. Sometimes colour differences are just from sun bleaching. If the leafs were seldom used and the top faded in the light you might be able to get them closer looking by using a coloured wax or similar finish on the table top. I could tell you about how to do partial finish removal with solvents to balance colours but the methods are too risky to explain over the internet. Unless it is a very special piece of furniture don't worry too much about things like "patina" because it is far more important to have a usable piece of furniture that pleases you. Besides, a lot of people confuse dirt with patina and if you can simply wash it off with a soapy rag then it is dirt, not patina. Edit: I almost forgot, if it is pine there is a chance the finish is oil. You might have heard it called Danish oil or something similar but it is really just double boiled linseed oil. The same thing that used to be used as the base for oil paints. The point is that with an oil finish you can retouch it by wiping a thin layer on. Different brands of it have slightly different additives like drying accelerators and colour added. If you go to a paint store they usually carry oil finish in small cans of different shades or tints so you should be able to colour match easily, wiping on a thin coat and letting it dry before wiping on another coat makes it very controllable. The more coats you put on the darker the tint will seem. This post was edited by scafool on Mon, Aug 25, 14 at 1:44

Here's an article you might find interesting. It tells you about how waterfall came into popularity, how it was made, what not to use to clean it. Some interesting stories about it. (Such as why so many pieces made and that we still see today are bedroom suites. Depression era couples often started out living with parents, so had nothing much to call their own except their bedroom furniture - if they could afford that.) Click on What is Waterfall, Anyway? I'd be very leery of Krud Kutter on wood, but especially delicate, aged veneers. That's a degreaser meant for everything from aluminum siding to garage floors. There are lots of recipes out there for cleaning antique wood. I have a routine I like. Start with Formby's Deep Cleansing Build-Up Remover. Just be careful with any loose veneer, some of it could be about paper thin and not take a lot of pressure. I like Restore-A-Finish for pieces that need spruced up but not a full strip and restore. It's worked wonders on solid wood. If using on veneers, avoid the steel wool it says you can use. Too harsh on veneer imho. When you've got it nice and clean, consider a good paste wax like Trewax or I like the liquid Howard's Beeswax Feed N Wax (Sears Hardware, Ace). If someone in a store suggests Bowling Alley wax, I'd suggest avoiding it. It was recommended to me by a retailer who said a couple of his 'old-timer' antique dealing customers use it. That stuff was about impossible to buff out and was kind of gummy feeling to me. My SIL gave me a beautiful deco era waterfall accent table, from DHs grandparents. She just didn't want it anymore. I just did a light RAF wipe rather than a lot of elbow grease with super fine steel wool. Didn't want to risk harming the veneers. Anyway, I did my Formby's, RAF, Howard's Beeswax routine and sent her a photo with a thank you. She was amazed at the difference and wanted to know what I refinished it with. ;) This is a different piece, before and after. An ebay purchase, a vintage solid cherry hutch in pristine condition structurally but had smoke film on it and other kinds of grime, the finish was dull and needed a really good cleaning. seller's photo after I did my Formby's>RAF>Feed n Wax routine.

Why do you want an old oak table if you will be painting it black? You will get away a lot cheaper by buying a piece of unfinished furniture and not ruin a nice antique table. And the new unfinished piece will be ready to finish and won't have the open grain of oak. Linda C

Some photos would be helpful as "old worn look" is not specifically descriptive. Do you know what type of wood it is? I'd hold off on the steel wool. Some woods (for example oaks, that contain a lot of tannin), will react with the iron in the steel wool and leave black spots. First, your finish will never be better than your preparation. Just cleaning and sanding will not effectively remove the old finish, in general. And a finish will not smooth out a splintery surface. Second, be aware that most products called "Tung Oil Finish" are not tung oil, and most do not even contain any tung oil. Most are either a thinned varnish or a linseed oil-varnish blend. Unless it says 100% tung oil and contains no petroleum distillates, you are getting an imposter. Something that "looks sort of like tung oil." Tung oil, the real stuff, is not very protective and if you don't apply it right and allow sufficient inter-coat dry time, it will not look good and need to be stripped off. Varathane is a brand name, not a specific product. It's sort of like saying, should I buy a Chevy? Well are you talking about a Volt, a Corvette, or a cargo van? Varathane makes both urethane and acrylic (water-borne) varnishes, as well as stains and other things. It would also be helpful to know the look and feel that you are aiming for. Since we don't know that the current appearance is, it's hard to say what is going to change it.