[RhondaR]

I've refinished quite a bit of furniture. My favorite is an old rocker I found in a field. I met a retired furniture restorer who had a shop in San Francisco most of his life. His "shop" was amazing, I'd never imagined how many tools there could be! Without him, I'd never have figured out how to put a rocker back together!

My two peices of advice:

Mineral Spirits (Paint Thinner) to clean the wood after the sanding. All the fine dust will be removed and the wood won't be stained or damaged in any way.

Buy some rosewood and try out different finishes until you not only find the one you like the best (and that matches her table) but perfect your technique so that when you're working on the end tables you'll have worked out all the possible glitches. Refinishing your refinishing takes more time than being prepared ahead of time. Don't ask how I know.

What a thoughtful gift. Good luck to you!

PS... Don't forget to wear your mask and eye protection!