| Q: My daughter just purchased a used wood dining table that has a brown stain and she wants to paint it black. What does she need to do?
A: You can paint over the existing finish only if it is intact with no cracking or peeling. If that is the case, clean it with either mineral spirits or TSP on nylon abrasive pads, sand lightly with 320 paper to de-gloss the surface, and prime with a coat of either Zinsser SealCoat, a clear primer, or Zinsser BIN, a white primer. Once the primer is dry, go ahead and paint. For a table top, I would use something durable, such as Painter’s Touch.
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