How to protect my dining room table after re-staining?

My father refinished his mothers claw foot table back in the late 60's, as well as a couple of other antiques, He put on a couple of coats of polyurethane on all of them to seal them. I have that table, the desk, old school desk and a couple of other things he did and they still look like they were refinished yesterday. Just take care to use good trivets that you know the heat won't go through and it will stay beautiful for years.

I agree with Nancy--use your table, but protect it from heat and water spills. You didn't mention a clear top coat, but I assume it has been applied. Why don't you send a pic?

The above is all excellent advice, especially if you like to set a table with placemats and pretty toppers so family and guests can enjoy the beauty of your hard work. If you like tablecloths, you could search online for another option -table pads/protectors. They are usually custom made to your table measurements and often pricey, but they're perfect under a tablecloth. We had them when I was a kid. They're thick with a hard top and a soft felt underside. Ours were segmented so you could fold them accordion style for storage. My mom loved them because they barely detectable under a tablecloth and you never needed any kind of hot pads. The top was something tough and washable and practically indestructible (we three kids couldn't ruin it!) and kept her tabletop in pristine condition. All this is moot if you don't like tablecloths - it's just another idea to protect what you've worked so hard to achieve.

Lots of videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+protect+restained+wood

Thank you so much I will try it

Several coatsof a good water based polyurethane is a must !