I just stripped 2 tabletops. Both have / will have marble centers, so the area was small. Both are oak. One is vintage and one is modern.

The vintage table is Eastlake. The finish came off with no difficulty. The stain did not come off, or at least not much. I had planned to re-stain and match the rest of the piece anyway, not change it. (the finish on the apron and the rest of the piece is fine, it's just the top that was bad) It’s a typical reddish golden brown Eastlake color, on the lighter end of the spectrum.

Unfortunately there are water stains that have made the wood dark in several spots. A past owner must have used it as a plant stand. I was hoping the discoloration was in the finish, but it looks like it is in the wood. The spots look dark brown with a grayish tinge.

I don’t know what the modern table was finished with. I bought it at a craft sale. I had assumed at the time it had a modern waterproof finish on it. It was not expensive. I used it myself as a plant stand, and it immediately got water spots, even though I wiped drips up. So maybe it was an oil finish. Finish was natural; there does not appear to be a stain; or if there is, it’s a light one. The water stains on this are more of a brown ring or halo effect. I did not strip the legs or apron as those looked ok. I would not mind staining this one to be darker, as the room where I have it has all darker stains than natural oak. (Though since I did not strip the legs or apron, maybe I should not think about that. Can you stain wood that has an oil finish? )

What, besides sanding, should I do to remove the water stains? Thanks for your suggestions.