"Malcolm Hoar" wrote in message
I'd like to give them a makeover but stripping or sanding the
entire surface area down to bare wood is daunting. Therefore,
I'm considering a hybrid approach and would welcome any comments
or suggestions.


What worked for me was a good cleaning to get any grease off. Lightly sand
with 220 grit. Put one coat of oil based poly. Lightly sand with 320 grit,
second coat of poly. Done and looks great.

I think you are making more work than needed. Also, I don't understand the
need to put a coat of gloss followed by sating.