Welcome! I refinished a pine table years ago and it's so easy. There are several ways you can go about doing it but be sure to use a wood bleach before you restain. It will even out the color of the natural wood and the end results will be much better.

I am having a lot of anxiety over this area and am really hoping for some guidance from all the experienced and gifted posters out there - please! We decided on absolute black honed for the counter - now need to decide the thickness. This dining room butler's pantry in the expanded dining room was suppose to appear like 2 independent furniture pieces. KD's goal was nothing like a kitchenette (or the adjacent kitchen) so he did not want 10 feet of a counter - hence the brown "china cabinet" piece steps back from the black "buffet counter" BUT he also planned for the counter heights to be different. The china cabinet has a thick (almost 4") of a wood slab between base and uppers. And he planned for 2 cm for the buffet. I know it is hard from these pictures (I'll try to get by there to get better ones today) but if we use 2 cm granite as recommended by the KD there will be only like 3/4 of an inch difference. If we use 3cm it could be shimmed up slightly to line up with the base of the routed edge on the dining room piece and seem in line. I don't want the 2cm to look like a mistake - a just miss BUT if the design with the step back already commits us to "mismatch" pieces I don't want to do it half way. HELP. I am at the end of a long line of too many decisions and just want this done and moving forward. Any help, suggestions, questions etc. would be GREATLY appreciated.

You did a fantastic job on your first big project, the worry factor is often the biggest obstacle, and proper research helps to overcome this issue...you did great asking the right questions and perhaps you are well on your way to becoming a seasoned weekend refinisher. There is a great sense of satisfaction in being able to "resurrect" old furniture pieces, many can been had cheaply because they're so ughhh! So here are a few extra hints to helps with the next project... 1). Use the powerful, nasty strippers, with methylene chloride, they just get the job done so much better than citrus strippers...gloves n goggles n good ventilation are important, you will love the fast results, use a green scotchbrite pad, rough steel wool, a stiff brush, etc. 2).strip the whole piece, never mind taping off areas unless the finish is pristine...chances are you will been able to do a much nicer job if you take the whole piece down to bare, especially once you learn how to seal, glaze n tone....shellac n stain powders/glazes are your friends... 3).automotive dewaxers are great, like ditzler/ppg # dx330....a big helps in cleaning up after stripping n neutralizing....helps to avoid contaminants like fisheye"silicone" and lets your get a look at the grain and possible spots, problem areas before your stain or seal the piece. 4).while your can always re-strip, sand or undo your work, try to think ahead and prepare...ie, test stain/finish underneath a tabletop first, dont stain or finish in the sun or winds at 90 degrees, read up , but only from truly problem sources, like mike dresdner, etc.. 4).have fun and dont be afraid, we all had to learn to walk and talk. There is great satisfaction in learning how to finish/refinish....drying times, dust free and stain/finish compatibility are the biggies, so dont worry, ask a lot of ??? And dont believe everything your hear.... 5).cheers, holla at me if ya want...veryspecialprojects@gmail.com....I only have three decades of finishing wood under my belt, but I'll try to help if I can....aloha

I would get a really beautiful piece of cloth with great colors and handmade design in whatever style you like and put a piece of glass over it.