First of all THANK YOU all for such kind words! I was so happy to read all the positive critiques because this was my first stab at refinishing a piece of furniture. I have always thought about it and this site really inspired me to do it. So when I saw this piece sitting by the curb, I knew my time had come (and no…my neighbour doesn’t know I have their table!)

Here’s how I did it:

I first stripped the finish off using “Circa 1850″ furniture stripper. The front panel was tricky because it had been repaired once with wood putty. I had to do some reshaping and serious sanding to maintain the panels because once the paint stripper hit the wood putty, it just melted (so be wary of wood putty!).

Second, I sanded it to a smooth finish using a power sander with a very gritty paper. I finished the sanding process with a soft paper and then some hand sanding on the finer detail parts.

Next, I vacuumed it to get all the dust out. When it was at its pure wood state, it looked really pretty, but the thought of black was still so much more appealing.

Then I used a brush to paint it using Tremclad Oil Paint in flat. I now wished I had used a sponge brush or a mini roller to further eliminate the brush strokes because some of the strokes are visible.

I finished it with the glass knob from Restoration Hardware!

That’s it! I’m working on my second piece now and will be happy to share once it’s done.

Thanks again all and happy DIY!