What do i need to do before i can paint over a finished wood night stand?

i have a small wood night stand with a medium color finish on it that i want to paint black. will sanding and a primer be enough to let me paint over it? also, what kind of paint would i need? is there a special furniture paint?What do i need to do before i can paint over a finished wood night stand?
I WOULD THINK THAT SANDING AND PRIMER WOULD BE ENOUGH, BUT MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO GET A GOOD ENAMEL PAINT OR GOOD FURNITURE PAINT. THE MAN AT THE PAINT STORE CAN TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED AND WHAT COLOR WILL BE PERFECT FOR YOU TO USE, OR RATHER WHAT SHADE IN THE COLOR YOU CHOSE. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE DOING A FINE JOB.What do i need to do before i can paint over a finished wood night stand?
Sanding and priming will be enough. You don't need special paint - you can use regular black paint for walls. The only exception would be is if you decided you wanted to stain it black which is a lot more work. I'd go for a semi-gloss black indoor house paint.
sanding's really not that necessary unless you know for certain it 's necessary