Any wooden surface should be cleaned and sanded before starting. Typically a brush is used to apply a thin layer of oil. We always recommend that you try this on a small patch of the wood before and check the end result.You can also add some oil soluble colors (available at all paint stores) to get the color to match the existing table.As the old polish is probably a different product, the colors and finish might be slightly different. This is the customer's personal preference at the end.