Do I have to strip stain of a mantel before I paint it?

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Ugly fireplace mantel- ugly, ugly, ugly. It’s a medium stain, complete with stains from other stuff on it, and I was thinking of painting it black. Do I need to strip? Sand? Prime? :) Thanks!
I want to hide the wood grain because it’s a cheap piece of wood. I hate when people give answers that are
a) not exactly answers to the question
and
b)condescending.
No thanks!

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  1. cowboydoc says:
    January 16, 2010 at 7:24 am

    If you want to do a nice job and make it look nice whatever color you paint it. I refurnish furniture as a hobby and usually go all out for whatever I do and do it right.
    I would strip the entire mantle, with "Zip strip" and then sand it accordingly with what I have when finished. If a light stain you might want to bleach. With black ?
    If the wood is dry you might want to seal it with shellac or a good sealer/sander then sand it after drying. Them again, accordingly what you find when through.

    If your satisfied then spray paint. Always spray paint, it gives a smoother finish. You may want to varnish after.

  2. Rusty Nail says:
    January 16, 2010 at 7:24 am

    Rough sand and paint. Why anyone would want to hide the grain of natural wood is beyond me. I would strip the finish and resurface the mantel in any stain color I wanted.

  3. HoffDNA says:
    January 16, 2010 at 7:24 am

    I would sand it lightly and use a tinted primer.

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