It wouldn't take long to just sand lightly with a medium to fine grit sandpaper. You are not trying to take the old paint off, just to make it less smooth (give it some tooth is what they say) so it will accept the new paint. I love the new fangled sanding "sponges", they make it very easy, you might want to try one. I would guess 3 minutes per leg more or less depending on how fancy the spindles are. Then wipe them off with a slightly damp cloth so no dust is left behind, let dry then paint. If you try to skip the sanding the new paint will probably rub off easily. In painting preparation is the most important step! There shouldn't be a need to prime in my opinion as long as you sand. Using your leftover hall and kitchen paint sounds like a great idea and it will tie your table into the rest of your decorating scheme. Whole project should take about an hour and a half assuming some fancy painting with mixed color on the spindles. Good luck kathy

What you are probably seeing is a phenomenon called "plasticizer migration." The way I explain it is that the chemicals in the plastic to keep it soft and flexible migrate into the finish and do the same there. There is no saving the damaged finish, it must be removed. What repair is needed depends upon the extent of damage. If it is not too deep some light abrasion to the surface will remove the damaged finish and leave undamaged finish. In (more or less) increasing order of aggressiveness: - Stain removal cloths - Polishing compound - Abralon pads in 1000, 2000, to 4000 - 0000 steel wool - Sandpaper no coarser than P400 - Strip and refinish Here is a link that might be useful: stain removal cloth

I just purchased this handmade table and 4 chairs from a private seller. He did not know the type of wood that was used for the table. We are looking to refinish it but need to know what type of wood this is before proceeding. We think it's oak but not positive. Thank you for your assistance.

I agree 36" is too small for a table in this space unless you just want to drink coffee there, no meals. We also just moved into a new to us house and brought in my husbands mothers old 42" oak table. It works perfect in our spot but we really can't use normal sized placemats because of the tight circle. I wouldn't even consider a smaller table for this space. It really needs to be centered under the light. Ours isn't in this picture but we were just getting things in place while moving. It is centered now