@Naomi, You could also sand it lightly, then prime and paint; to me that would be easier to get a good result than trying to stain it (been there, done that). If you decide to do that, I found a blog with the best paint to use for painting furniture, and it did a great job on our bed I recently painted. Here's the stuff I copied:
"Use a foam roller: 4-6” Skinny Mohair or Foam Rollers" (I actually used a skinny regular roller labeled "best" from Home Depot, and a high-quality brush for areas I couldn't roll)
"For our furniture painting projects, we use SW ProClassic Waterborne Interior Acrylic Enamel in semi-gloss. It’s an enamel finish in a water-based paint. Easy clean-up but holds up beautifully for us over time!"
Q
