We have an old piece of furniture that my wife wants to refinish white
for my daughter's room. The piece is a maple piece varnished with a
gloss finish (but finishes are my weak point so I can't tell if it's
an oil based varnish or not...).

I'm assuming I need to sand, but do I need to sand the finish right
off, or just score it so the paint stays? There are a lot of
intricate edges on the piece, and sanding by hand might be difficult.
Would I be able to use my sandblaster for the those areas?

Also, what kinds of paint would people recommend?

Thanks

John