What is best way to paint / stain oak furniture with black

A. Audi,
I have earned my living refinishing furniture for almost 35 years and what you want to do is reasonably easy.
Here's how . . .
Go to a paint store and buy a lacquer sanding sealer in a spray can. Lacquer dries very quickly (10 minutes or so) You can also try Walmart's paint dept. for the sanding sealer [affil links] . In my experience Lowe's and Home Depot don't carry lacquer based products but try them also if you can't locate the lacquer sanding sealer anywhere else. There are also professional finishing websites such as Master's Magic.com.

For the black color go to Walmart and buy Krylon semi-flat (really semi-gloss in sheen) black paint.
Go to a hardware store and buy several sheets of 3M Tri-M-Ite 320 grit sandpaper. ( It's a bluish white color.) and a maroon Scotchbrite pad.
Seal the wood with the lacquer sanding sealer, sand the furniture with 320 grit Tri-M-Ite (3M product) and spray on another coat of lacquer sanding sealer, but do not sand it.
Wait 25-30 minutes while the sealer dries then spray on a coat of the Krylon semi-flat black. Once the semi-flat black dries rub edges and wherever else you want with the Scotchbrite pad to remove the black paint. Rub gently at first. Use ONLY the products I specifically name-do not let the people at Lowe's or Home Depot or elsewhere tell you "This is just as good." because it's not. Lacquer is different than acrylic or enamel and they are not compatible with one another.
For more detailed info on wood finishing, see an article I wrote for Professional Refinishing magazine

Thank you sooooo much Stephen! I'm so glad you replied. Can't wait to try this out. I feel really good about it since you are experienced in this.

A. Elle,
The only thing I failed to mention is that on previously finished furniture there may be some sort of polish (Pledge etc.) left over from either you or a previous owner. This MUST be removed or the paint either won't stick or will fisheye or have some other sort of adhesion problems.
To clean the furniture you can use mineral spirits [on eBay or Amazon] BUT BE CAREFUL IT IS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE. Work in a WELL ventilated area, lightly soak a clean rag and wipe the piece numerous times (2-3) until you feel confident the wax (polish) is gone. Then use my technique.
I do, however, recommend you strip the piece to bare wood to make sure there will be no finishing problems.
If you strip the piece and still have problems use shellac as a sealer-shellac covers and adheres over virtually anything that causes finishing problems.

A. If you are having trouble with the lacquer, please try cleaning this back off with lacquer thinner [on eBay or Amazon], then wiping clean with acetone [on eBay or Amazon]. Sand and paint with a milk paint (black), from "general finishes" if possible, then sand through the edges to the wood, then top coat with two coats of clear. All of this is done with waterbase products and probably won't bubble on you. You can go to generalfinishes.com to look at more samples. I refinish custom furniture.
Thanks
Jason

A. Painting oak black. Use water base paint. Light coats, 3 will do. You will see the oak very rich looking. Looks like you spent thousands of dollars. Remember thin coats and little paint on brush. A cloth does the same but soaks up too much paint. Grain is visible just cover it until dark. Hope this answers your questions.