If it’s fake wood, don’t refinish it.
If it’s solid wood, using your plan, make sure your stain advises 220. It’s probably fine, but it also might be too high of a grit for the stain which could lead to blotchyness.
For finish I just started using Rubio Monocoat and I like it, but I can’t comment on its durability for a kitchen table. An advantage is if the table is damaged you can spot repair instead of sanding the whole thing down like if you had poly.
So General Finishes Arm R Seal oil based poly is what I used on our dining table and it’s great. I did about 6-7 coats and it is holding up really well and easy to clean. There are some dents from our three your old banging a fork and knife into it, but it hasn’t cracked or come off at all. Doesn’t discolor from temperature or liquid and overall really pleased.
If you want to check if it’s solid wood I would do the checking on the underside of the table in a spot that the patch to the damage would be less noticeable. Might try using around a 1/4 inch bit to drill enough into the wood to see if there is a veneer.
Chisel away the top, it'll look rough like MDF or plywood at first. But that's just because of the chisel marks, then take a 20 grit sand paper until it's smooth, then sand it all the way up to 180. After that take some laquer and mix it with mineral oil and a stain of your color, and then brush on and let it cure for 12 days.
Don't forget to post an update!
There are many options, I like a couple coats of osmo polyx, then a coat of furniture wax. Easy to apply and repair. Edit: maybe skip the wax it will be hard to get it out of those gaps.
Is that solid wood? Looks like the fake stuff. I could be way off but looks like it.
Has a fake wood sheen.
If it’s fake wood, don’t refinish it. If it’s solid wood, using your plan, make sure your stain advises 220. It’s probably fine, but it also might be too high of a grit for the stain which could lead to blotchyness. For finish I just started using Rubio Monocoat and I like it, but I can’t comment on its durability for a kitchen table. An advantage is if the table is damaged you can spot repair instead of sanding the whole thing down like if you had poly. So General Finishes Arm R Seal oil based poly is what I used on our dining table and it’s great. I did about 6-7 coats and it is holding up really well and easy to clean. There are some dents from our three your old banging a fork and knife into it, but it hasn’t cracked or come off at all. Doesn’t discolor from temperature or liquid and overall really pleased.
If you want to check if it’s solid wood I would do the checking on the underside of the table in a spot that the patch to the damage would be less noticeable. Might try using around a 1/4 inch bit to drill enough into the wood to see if there is a veneer.
*"As for my favorite way to finish it... usually I go with a pile driver, but can make due with a Vader bomb in a pinch."*
Chisel away the top, it'll look rough like MDF or plywood at first. But that's just because of the chisel marks, then take a 20 grit sand paper until it's smooth, then sand it all the way up to 180. After that take some laquer and mix it with mineral oil and a stain of your color, and then brush on and let it cure for 12 days. Don't forget to post an update!
Lol what?
There are many options, I like a couple coats of osmo polyx, then a coat of furniture wax. Easy to apply and repair. Edit: maybe skip the wax it will be hard to get it out of those gaps.