farmhouse table makeover

I had bought my farmhouse table a while ago with the intentions of it being a project that I needed to do at some point...almost a year later I am finally getting to it. This table is a very nice well built table but there were some things I was not very happy with aesthetically speaking. I had immediately reupholstered the chairs from a very ugly floral print to some fabric I already had and loved. I was pleased with the chairs and the legs of the chairs and table but not the table top. The wood top was a light blonde color and did not pop against the base and just wasn't my style or preference. I had originally thought about removing the top altogether and putting 4 slats of wood instead like I had seen many people do on pinterest. Then I thought why waste a perfectly nice piece of wood? So I got my electric hand sander out and sanded off all the finish and previous stain off the top and then sanded the sides and little crevices by hand with a sheet of sand paper. It took about 2 hours but this step is very important because you have to get to the base wood in order for it to take the stain. I then applied one coat of dark walnut stain and let it dry. Then I put another coat of stain and did it heavier in some spots then others so it would give it the aged/distressed look. After that dried I put a coat of poly on. I really like the outcome and it looks like a brand new table. It only cost me $20 for stain and poly.

                                                                           Before

Sanded down

After