Can you paint over stained wood? You sure can—with the right steps. Learn how to prime, sand and seal stained surfaces for a beautiful, durable finish and other tips for painting wood furniture.

Q: My childhood dresser is beautiful but the wood stain looks faded. I’d love to update it with fresh paint and new hardware, but I’ve heard that you can’t get good results painting over stain.

You want to use stain-killer primer such as Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 or Kilz. If you have the primer tinted to something close to the finish color, you can probably get by with one coat of finish paint.

Q–The cabinets and panels in my kitchen are stained dark brown, with clear finish over the stain. I want to paint over all this wood. I plan to sand and clean the surfaces thoroughly, apply a ...

Q–The cabinets and panels in my kitchen are stained dark brown, with clear finish over the stain. I want to paint over all this wood. I plan to sand and clean the surfaces thoroughly, apply a ...

A: Painting stained wood cabinets does involve some of the steps mentioned above. To achieve the best finish on cabinets, they should be painted with a paint sprayer. Spraying avoids brush marks ...

But unlike stained wood floors, paint sits on the surface and can wear away over time, or peel, chip, and crack. The good news is you can simply repaint every few years, ...

One alternative that's gaining popularity: painting ... Houzz.com, 15percent said they're ready to make the leap to painting while 85percent were still more comfortable with stained wood floors.

But the paintlike qualities of solid stains have a drawback: They might build up a film, especially after several coats, which can peel, chip, and crack just like paint. Semi-transparent wood ...

Always prepare the wood before you paint over stain. Before you prep, determine the type of wood stain (oil- or water-based) ...