Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - painting an armoire

hi...i would like to change the look of my armoire...it currently has a green finish on it, and is made of wood and veneer...i would like the final look to be white with a brownish color at the edges and in the scrolling...in my mind, i am thinking of perhaps painting it white (but not sure what type of finish to use i.e. flat, satin, semigloss?) and the rubbing on a dark brown stain and then wiping it off...do you think that will work? and also, i gave the whole thing a light sanding, will that suffice?

The light sanding you mentioned, as long as it dulled th entire surface, is plenty. If you're going to paint, you need to make certain you've removed any iregularities in the current finish - drips, sags, runs, etc. They'll really show up later if you don't get them now.

A good primer is a must. I use BIN or KILZ. I suggest 2 coats, sanding lightly after each has dried.

The 2-tone method you suggest will work, but use a gel-type stain. It goes on heavier and is easier to control that regular oil base pigmented stains.

You may find it necessary to scuff up the areas you want to stain for better adhesion.

If it were mine, I'd use a satin paint - it gives a low sheen and is much more forgiving in revealing brush marks, etc.

thanks so much, george...this was very helpful...ill let you know how it turns out!