Painting - Paint over stain

I am remodeling an old bathroom in wich the woodwork is stained with a coat of polyeurythane. I would like to paint over it with white paint. Is this possible ? If so, what steps do I need to take to ensure that the stain won't bleed through?

Be sure that it is clean, scuff sand it with a green scotchbrite pad or 150 grit paper to improve bonding. Prime to cover the color of the stain and enhance bonding, then paint.

Do I need to use oil based primer and paint or is latex suitable in this application? Thanks in advance for the advice.

i am in the process of repainting kitchen cabinets and i first sanded with very gritty paper (50 and 80). i was told that enamal paints are now good for kitchen cabinets (as opposed to oil base). thus, i'm not sure if oil base is really needed...

I've been re-doing my house room-by-room for the last couple of years. All the doors, trim and baseboards were stained an oak color and polyurethaned. I wanted them white.

Here is what I did: I used Zinser Bullseye 1-2-3 in the BLUE can as the primer. This is specially made for glossy surfaces.

I then applied white semi-gloss latex paint. With a brush, it would take at least three coats in order to get an acceptable appearance. Where possible (such as the doors), I used a mini-roller and here two coats were more than enough.

If you bang into any of the edges, say with a vacuum cleaner, the paint will chip off (I'm talking small specs), and I have to re-touch periodically. The Zinser comes in an oil-based version as well, and perhaps that, along with oil-based semi-gloss provides a more durable finish. I hate working with oil so I opted for the latex, and I don't mind the occassional touch-ups (I just wait for when I already have everything out for another project).

PS: The Zinser comes in oil, but I bought the latex (blue label) only becuase I refuse to work with oil anymore because it is so messy (yes, it may be better in the long run, but...).

PPS: I tried sanding first before applying the Zinser and the adhesion was no better. It ended up being a waste of time. Plus, it is very difficult to remove polyurethane, even with a powere sander, which I could use on the doors, but not on the moulding.

So, there you have it...a possible solution from a fellow DIYer.