If you decide to use a varnish/poly finish consider the following and this can be applied by a brush. Purchase a product made by a company called Fine Paints of Europe. Their US office is in Vermont. Apply two coats of their Gloss Marine Varnish as this will give you a good solid base and good UV protection followed by two coats of their Eurothane Varnish Satin. This give you a very beautiful matt furniture finish. It is easy to apply, dries quickly. It is not streaky or lumpy like many Varnishes and you don't need to be an expert to have good results. Thin each coat by 10% with thinner. Lightly scuff between coats. They do have their own thinner but any thinner will really do. It is important to buy some paper strainers and strain before using as you should strain an poly or varnish. Stir well before using and use a good brush. Make sure the surface is well prepared before starting.

Hi WB, If you've had dry weather, 3 or 4 days is OK, then use the sander. * You want all wood fibers to "shear off" nicely. If they're still damp, they may "tear" more...compared to a cleaner cut. * Important point: Get all the dust you can from where you sanded!! Sweeping/Shop-vac/light wipe with paint thinner. * Then, stain away! Deck Stains...hmmm...now THERE'S a "hot topic" here! * I can only speak of what we have good experience with at our store here in Fargo, ND... * Our climate here can range from -30 to 100+, with ALL kinds of humidity. It's a wonder anything holds on a deck! (our rough streets take a beating too!) ....That said.... * The "clear", "natural" colors from Penofin & Sikkens are our best sellers. * PENOFIN: Cedar, Western Red Cedar, & Transparent Redwood are by far the 3 top colors here. TWO-COAT process normally on untreated wood. 2nd coat goes pretty quickly. * SIKKENS: JEEZ we go through a lot of this stuff! SRD is appropriate for 95% of decks. ONE COAT on untreated wood. >>>> Most popular SRD colors... 077 Cedar, 078 Natural, 005 Natural Light, Mahogany, & 089 Redwood. * I've got an 11 yr.-old Redwood deck. I'm real happy with the SRD 089 Redwood I've got on it. I've had 2 yrs. off, but have to do it again this fall. * We don't get any shade on ours; but, up here, that's about all we can realistically expect. Let us know how it goes for ya! Faron

Here's a pro tip that won't make that into a major re-finishing chore. What I would do is suggest you go to the craft store like a Micheal's and get a tube of artist oil color Burnt Umber. Be sure to get the oil-based, not the acrylic. Get some medical gloves to wear and a nice cotton rag and apply this thinly to the table. It has an extremely long open time - takes a day to dry - so you can work the burnt umber onto the table and tone it to suit your eye. Get too much on? Simply rag it off. When you get it to where you like it, let it dry at least a day. Now you need to seal the color in, so I would recommend you use a flat clear spray lacquer you can buy in a can. Once you are done spraying, use 0000 grade steel wool and rub it out lightly with the grain. I think you'll like the result. Cost of materials is under $ 20 for all. - Duane Collie

Your problem is the table has no finish and the oil has soaked into the wood. You can try rubbing the spot with cornstarch....then vacuuming up the cornstarch ( don't use water!) and if it helps at all repeat until it's gone. I got grease our of suede pants that way once.