Refinishing a table

I had a black table that was made of wood. It just didn't go with the decor once I had everything in place. It consisted of a table and four bar stools that I bought from West Elm. I used to be obsessed with their furniture. I still am but living with a cowboy has changed my taste a bit.

I started by using my trusty Black and Decker sander. I took all of the black off. 

The result was a sanded chair.

I then used my favorite minwax finish which penetrated the wood and resulted in a dark stain but after 24 hours it had lighted quite considerably.

I then followed the directions on the polyurethane from minwax.

I applied did NOT shake the polyurethane can as it would create bubbles. I applied it to the grain. I let it dry a full 24 hours, lightly sanded with fine grain sand paper and applied a second coat of polyurethane. 

These were some of the black details that I choose to keep. It added character to the wood.

The result is my finished table. :) Happy sanding folks.