A Journey in Furniture Refinishing (Part I)

Violet Ewell, Blu Cabinet co-owner, is refinishing an old headboard for her guest bedroom. She will catalogue her adventure in a series of posts:

I've never refinished furniture before, but I had an old wood headboard that I didn't want to waste. My brother, Jay, is an expert, so I sought advice from him. He told me about the basics of stripping, staining and selecting a finish coat. 

I stripped the old finish off the headboard and now I need to pre-condition then stain. Hopefully I'll get to it this week and add pictures.