Patricia, I remember Lynette Jennings doing this. It raises the grain of the wood, so it must be sanded afterwards, but the effect can be very nice.
Diane

Oh, I love Lynette. I wish she was on. I miss her very much. She was the consummate professional.

Or stain the wood with a medium to deep stain first, then apply a sheer or thinned paint. It's surprising how gorgeous this can be!

Oh, thank you so very much, Patricia! I've bookmarked the link and am going to check it out in detail when I have a bit more time. (Just swamped here at work today - ugh!) In talking with my dad last night, he's convinced me that in order to finish my buffet the way I have in mind, I'd really need to strip it first, so since it wouldn't be a simple fix, I'm going to give it plenty of thought and research well what I want to do. Your link will provide much more food for thought, so thanks again!
:-)