Very nice set! I'd go with a stain as close to the original finish as possible, as that was the design intent. :)

What color fabric are you thinking for the seats?

I think a lot of the value in the mid-century Drexel pieces are for untouched pieces. I have a Drexel Declaration hutch that is solid walnut. A lot of the MCM Drexel is walnut but I am not sure about the Biscayne line. I think you have no choice now that it's stripped. You will either need to stain or paint.

Hot Rod, thanks! Good point. Any idea how I would go about recreating the original for something like this? Seat cover is a TBD, the owners said the original was a blurred textured small plaid in earth tones. open to suggestions!

Rory, Its a fun project for me not a business move 🙂 The finish was badly damaged. But yes I understand.

Beth, that is a beautiful piece! Glad you were able to salvage it...what an exquisite ironing board! I’m mostly using stripper and steel wool...havent touched the table top with a sander yet bc of the veneer. Sanded the legs of the chairs a bit but they’re solid. Do you have any idea what shade you used on the drawers? Did you take them all the way down before restaining? Ty so much for your input, I’m brand new to this and wondering what I’ve done 🙄

nooooo!! no steel wool!

use Soy Gel and a scraper. very carefully. SoyGel cleans up w/water. the others you have to use a neutralizing wash.

the steel wool catches on the wood, can be left behind, and will rust and turn the wood orange. (and it discolors the wood while you're stripping it)

Plus, it's just not good for the wood.

you have to let the stripper sit (at least 30 mins) for it to do its thing. it may take a few times. any left over finish use a orbital sander and 80 grit to start. stay away from the edges. go lightly until the remaining stain is sanded off. then move to 120, 150 and 220. you can do it by hand if it's easier for you

Hmm thanks Beth. Even that relatively coarse grit on the top? I haven’t done the actual table yet, just 2 leaves so at least the steel wool situation can be avoided there. That’s all I was finding online for removal 😬

Great job, Beth! Good luck, Ali!

I would try to recreate the original finish. So far, so good!

What color is the wood when you wipe it with mineral spirits? That will be fairly close to the color with finish.

I like using tung oil on mid century furniture. It takes several coats but gives a nice final finish. I always buff with 0000 steel wool after final sanding.

IMO stripping veneer is best left to pros this can turn into a disaster very quickly. I have no idea what the set looks like or why you decided to refinish it at all. The original chair that I see looks nice and I am not sure why you stripped it. I would like to see the table close up.

Thanks everyone!! I am so glad you all walked me back from the ledge of throwing a dark stain on this. So, my new approach is going to be finishing the sanding, applying several coats of Tung oil (or danish oil? Trying to avoid the yellow tone if possible), and then finishing with poly for the tabletop (or another finish for durability?)

Again thank you all so much 😊😊

is this your table?

It's supposed to be a walnut finish. With the current stains you have in that white portion you've stripped, throwing tung oil on it isn't going to do much.

Take it back to the walnut and use General Finishes or Varathane Walnut, American walnut something in that color realm.

these are the chairs w/that table

Hey Beth, thank you for the advice. I hear you on the walnut stain. The table I have has more square corners and different chairs, all stamped with Drexel on the bottom 🤷🏻‍♀️ we got these basically for free from a family friend and it’s not an investment set for me but I am curious. I saw the same photo online.

they aren't worth much. I was just showing you the color. I still think you should do a walnut stain. but hey, it's your rodeo!