Marcia
Since you are using it to test treadles, (assume you mean heads you work on) do you know what the company for which the base is made? I have never seen the emblem shown. Measure the distance, center to center, of the hinge pins and the diameter of the pins. Try a few heads. I would not be surprised if it is a copy of a Singer straight leg cabinet, but that does not mean it would fit all types of heads.
As to your question, if it turns out to work as a test treadle, I would go down to bare wood and just refinish. As mentioned, it does not show.