When I received this project, I thought with a little sanding and some new paint it would look good as new. As I started to sand the top of the table, I quickly realized how long and how many coats of paint were actually on the wood. Quickly the sander was put away and the table was disassembled. Next, stripping the original paint and a little elbow grease allowed me to finally see the original wood. Now that the hard part was out of the way, I was able to begin painting. The table took several coats of paint, but I'm pleased with the final product!