Help Refinishing BGE Cypress Table

pointeaubaril

I recently purchase a large BGE with a cypress table (for $250!), and the table needed some work. I used an orbital sander and based on my progress, I’m thinking a two tone approach would work best. The top of the table would be stained to keep the beautiful look of the wood, and everything below the top would be painted. 

I want the table to look nice but also want as little maintenance as possible going forward. Painting everything except the top would also mean I can basically stop sanding after I hit the top a bit more, and do some minimal sanding elsewhere before applying paint. Without a belt sander, sanding the rest in preparation for staining the entire thing would take far more time than I want to spend on this project. There are also some cracks in the top that need filled. 

Was thinking I could go with a neutral paint color, or even a navy blue might look nice with the top stained. Has anyone tried this approach? I searched old threads and didn’t see the paint + stain combo. The attached photo was taken after my first round of sanding. 

loco_engr

dang nice score!