Large Family Table Solution

I know of one family that purchased an outdoor picnic table that came with benches. They stained the tops a dark color and put on several coats of poly. They painted the bottoms white. It looked a lot nicer than I had imagined. They put chairs they bought second hand at the ends. It was cheaper than a new dining room table, and it was built to last. They thought out of the box to accomplish their goal. I like it for that reason!