I saw this piece down the street from where I live in Lakewood, Ohio. It was put out with the trash. I recognized by the weight, that this was made of hardwood and decided to take it home. The wood was in relatively good condition, as it was coated in a waterproofer, though some time ago. There were a few pits on the top, which I was able to blend with a hand plane. I removed the blocky outdated trim and the replaced the wooden handles with brushed steel modern handles. After a few weeks of sanding, it was ready for a pre-stain conditioner (to make sure the stain applies perfectly) followed by a dark walnut oil based stain. I wanted a dark clean look that worked well with the modern hardware, but kept it light enough to keep some of the beautiful hardwood grain visible. A final coat of semigloss polyurethane to protect the wood and make for easy cleaning.