Malcolm Hoar wrote:

Primary considerations:

How many doors and drawers? Flat, flush doors or panel and frame? End
panels .. are you SURE they are veneer and not printed woodgrain? Don't
ask why .... )

All loose finish should be removed. Water stains should be sanded to
clear wood. I would not put satin over gloss .. no point at all (that I
know of) in using the gloss unless you want the finish to be glossy. I
like semi best.

Removing part of the old finish is an iffy task, IMO. Too hard to
foresee how it will look recoated.

You can get the built-up grease with mineral spirits and fine steel
wool, if needed. Toothpicks or whatever to get gunk out of crevices.
Let it dry well or wipe quickly with denatured alcohol.

Don't use 3M on new finish - it is likely to stick if the finish is not
completely cured.

For a project of considerable size, there isn't a whole lot of
difference as to the amount of work or cleanup by choosing oil based
finish vs. water base. I like Minwax fast drying poly, but used it on a
smaller project. Satin has nice amount of gloss and flows on nicely.

With all of the work removing hardware and taking stuff down, it isn't
that much more to strip the clear finish, sand lightly if water stains
still show, and put on 2 or 3 coats of clear finish. Oak is a pretty
deep brown without any stain .. I like it plain )