I'll clean it down to wood before I refinish.
Have you run across a type of polyurethane that doesn't feel like a plastic coating, Joe? I like the protection of the stuff and it is easy to apply..but just can't stand the way it feels.

I suspect when I get the finish off, I'll find that I need to stain it (surely the pretty color is fake) and I was kind of thinking about sealing it with an old-fashioned furniture wax.