So I found this table on the “free” section of Craigslist. It was kept outside, and it was not an outside table. Warped, moldy, and black, I had my work cut out for me.
I scrubbed and scrubbed, bleached the top, sanded it down, and got to staining.
To tell you the truth, I was putting off the staining part. The wood was in awful shape, and even after the bleaching and sanding, the colors were uneven. Having not used stain before (hey, I’m a color girl!) I wasn’t sure if it would hide the differences in color. Well, it didn’t.
I am going to attempt another coat or two, but may end up scrapping this project. Sometimes, you just need to know when to quit.
Roadside Rehab 
Still think it looks ok? But maybe you can’t tell on the picture how crappy it is…
See how one side is the pretty orangey color and the rest looks darker? I think part of the table was protected somehow.
Yeah but that just kinda makes it interesting? It’s still a really sturdy table seems like.
It is a sturdy table, and I guess I don’t actually know when to quit… I’ve been playing with blending the stain all week! Oops!