Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Lacquer Help Once Again!!!!

Hello, I'm new to this so please look pass my mistakes. I found an Oval dinning table I would like to purchase used, but it is black lacquer. I don't mind it being lacquer, I just want it to look like a wood or brown lacquer and not black. The table is only $20.00 dollars so I am willing to make this a wonderful project. Can I cover this with something?Like a contact paper or can I sand it a little, prime it and then spray it? It could remain lacquer but with a wood grain tone, not black at all, that would be great. I need explicit directions to follow. I will follow them, please just tell me what I need to purchase and how to do it. Thanks!!!!::confused:

To achieve the look you want the table must be stripped. Before you start, I'd look at the underside of the top to try to determine what is under the finish. Many black lacquer pieces use a particle board substrate which is virtually impervious to any stain and has no wood grain at all.

Check it out and come on back and we'll try to help...