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Thank you both so much! Both of these were really helpful I also found a couple of things about prepping stained and sealed furniture, in case they are helpful to you, deedee. Here's a Q& A from doityourself.com: Q. I have a dining room set from the 70's that is stained oak. I really hate the stained color and was thinking of painting the set a cream color and sanding the edges to give it an antiqued look. I plan on starting with the hutch. I am going to wash it with TSP, then sand it because it has a shiny finish and then prime it with Killz so the stain does not leak through. Do I need to strip the stain off, or can I paint over it? Should I then sand after the coat of primer, especially the edges to begin the antiquing? Or should I prime, then lightly sand and then antique it after each coat of paint I do? A. You can paint over the stain and finish. Wash the piece with mineral spirits to remove all the grease, grit, and grime. For the shine on the finish, scuff sand it with a green scotch brite pad to knock down the sheen. Use a primer so that the paint has a good surface to bond to. Start sanding after the paint is applied. Stripping will make the job more durable, but I have had long-term success painting over an existing finish. Surface preparation, primer, and good paint make all the difference. Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/qnadecorate4#ixzz0kRGUZFZs and a link to advice about painting a finished table in the paint forum. Here is a link that might be useful: Paint Forum Posting

This secretary is a sentimental piece that doesn’t go at all with my house, but I have to keep it at my husband’s request. I wanted to paint it but I’m scared I’ll make it worse than it already looks. I had someone give me a quote to have it professionally done and I really don’t want to spend $600 on it. Is there a good website/book/video that could guide me through the steps to paint it? Thanks!

Problem is you need something very long and narrow and that is hard to find. This one is 60 x 40. You really don't want anything wider than 40. It's going to cover only about half of the width, though. If I were you, I'd look at getting several of something: 2 coffee tables, several ottomans, etc. Soon, you will need a lot of storage for toys.