On a piece of wood furniture, any old lacquer, stain or paint has to come off. For that kind of heavy sanding and stripping, says Glass, “you need coarse sandpaper measuring 40 to 60 grit.” ...

I reached out to pro painter Chuck Reger of Five Star Painting, and he helped assemble a go-to guide for beginners who want to pick the best paint or stain for their project.

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.