How to stain this dining table to a different colour?

[fernicarry]

but how do I spot pure wood

Unless the table top looks like its made up of staves joined edge to edge (think butchers block worktop) then its almost certainly a veneer over a composite of some sort. Partly its cost but partly its also for dimensional stability so don't feel too hard done by. A single piece of wood that size wouldn't stay flat for very long. The edge of the top will be finished off with a solid band of the headline timber if its half decent, or more veneer glued on if its not.... If its very well made then the transition from edge band to veneer will be virtually undetectable so it will look completely solid (as is the case with my cherry cabinets from the Conran shop but those cost me several month's pay back in the day...) In the case of your oak table they've made a feature of the join by adding a V-groove. Even the less visible bits like the framing underneath will quite possibly be made of something else stained to match.

 

[Cubist]

haha thanks!
I don't think I could fork out over £2k on a dining table, personally.
Yep, I think i'll have to test things on smaller junk items.
I think I can sorta tell if it's veneer being used, but how do I spot pure wood?

Dammit! Like I needed another reminder of the passage of time? We paid about £250 for the entire suite of table, two carvers and four chairs!

Spotting the difference between a solid wood and a veneered piece can be very difficult. Close visual inspection is vital but some of the pros out there also use their 'feel' for the wood together with the knowledge of the behaviours of the different woods in manufacture and use. Also, it's easy to be deceived sometimes for example; the outer rails of your table are likely to be solid oak whilst the main body may be a veneer. The only way to be absolutely sure is to disassemble the piece and examine the ends of the boards. For example, flip you table on its side and take a look at the foot of the legs. They are quite large and the timber alone would be expensive. The producer may have chosen to use veneers on these to reduce the material costs and any such should be east to spot.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

Thanks @Cubist i got the table and chairs for £235, they were sold separately. The chairs are solid wood I believe and very heavy. I will paint then black soon