I did a bit more research and found basically 3 choices for exterior paint: 1. Acrylic 2. Latex 3. Oil Enamel From my reading, it seems that Oil Enamel may not be as durable on surfaces that expand and contract and takes longer to dry. That leads me towards using Acrylic or Latex which apparently can be thinned with water or Floetrol. Does anyone have recommendations which would be better (Acrylic or Latex) and what would be better to thin with to make a stain (water or Floetrol)? I want to make sure I get this last step correct after all the time invested in prep work. Lastly, what ratio of paint to thinner would be good to start with to make a stain for an exterior oak door? I would like to use a dark (black) stain with wood grain showing through. Thank you.

Ree, I am thinking that might be my safest bet, Parson's chairs as they do cross the style barrier. KD, I am sort of like you --- I like mixing styles as long as they "play" well together and I will not get rid of the table and storage pieces because my kids who can afford good furniture, tell me they cannot get the quality I have with double the price, that it just does not exist anymore. I think my table and chairs are Penn Colony or something like that, about the same as Ethan Allen used to be, or maybe a cut above. Carol, I don't do a very good job of photography because I have very little vision when I try hard to focus. I have MS and as a result, I cannot squint or work really hard at seeing things. I have no optic nerve on the right and very little on the left. It's just one of those things that plagues people with MS and fortunately, I am now walking and do have enough vision so that if I change my font on the computer, I can see to read and write, but cannot read a phone book even with glasses. Leahcate, the finish on my table is still very, very good. No problems with that at all. I am trying to remember but think I paid about $5000 for this furniture in the early 1970s and about $4000 for the cherry. That was a pocketful of cash back then, not much now by today's standards but I will not be able to replace the quality with anything near that now. The finish it what would be called "coffee bean" today, or ebonized. It is not black but a dark, probably what the French would call dark pine.

Think transitional That’s part of your past and can be easily integrated with your present and future Find something contemporary to use for visual appeal on the table top and consider how well it’s going to function with family and friends gathering around a casual, hospitable accessible spot i have my mother’s 1967 dining room Henkle Harris oval Colonial maple table in my tiny kitchen bay window eating area with my 1974 Ethan Allen dining room cane back birch chairs The host chairs are in the dining room with my mother’s six dining room chairs and a wall long Ethan Allen library unit that functions as a china cabinet i’ve had nothing but positive comments in the seven years I’ve used these combos it’s my life, my style. Why waste good stuff that has value and emotional appeal to all who experience it?

I agree with jinx. Also search for "drop leaf dining table" -- with this you can put against the sofa like in jinx's examples and then expand when needed. Above one is target: https://www.target.com/p/driness-drop-leaf-dining-table-dark-tobacco-holly-38-martin/-/A-53014524 here's one on houzz https://www.houzz.com/products/driness-drop-leaf-console-to-dining-table-oak-with-black-prvw-vr~120674405?m_refid=PLA_HZ_120674405_17540098681&device=c&nw=x&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhO-C7rzo_QIVpYJbCh1wSgXvEAQYBiABEgK2P_D_BwE