itsy bitsy teeny weeny pink polka dotted table

Way back when. . .ok last October, I received a table from Todd's parents to refinish for some extra Christmas money. My goal, at the time, was to finish the table by Thanksgiving. Yeah. . . it didn't happen. After Todd was laid off and the holidays started creeping closer, the table was placed on the back burner.

After Christmas I set a new goal to have it completed before the open house for Tad and Destiny's wedding on March 5th. I have been working every last minute to complete it on time. After each step I knew I was that much closer to completion. First stripping it of it's old paint, second an after wash to neutralize the stripper. Next, sanding. I hate sanding, but alas after an entire week of sanding to perfection I was ready for the most rewarding step, Staining. Today was the monumental day of staining, or so I thought it would be. I had everything I needed laid out before me, I take the brush and begin. It was a glorious 3 seconds before I realized that something was Dreadfully Wrong. little tiny dots start appearing all over my project like pouring water on a greasy surface. After trying frantically to gently rub it in, or brushing it back and forth praying that it will go away, it did not. After making a few phone calls they say that it would only happen if I didn't do an after wash (which I did) or if I didn't sand it (which I also did). They say that the only way to resolve it is to sand it back down and start all over. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! After waiting 15 minutes for the stain to penetrate to see the true damage, I wipe off the extra stain, and yet another setback. The table is now pink. Not the beautiful mahogany color I was striving for. I am waiting to hear back from a woodworking expert for some guidance on this one. But until then I have itsy bitsy teeny weeny polka dots on my pink table.