I re-stained by staircase banister in General Finishes Java Gel stain and I love how it turned out. I thought painting the spindles would be the easiest part but I made a complete mess of them! There was some dark stain on the top of them from the banister work that I thought would easily cover with primer and paint when I got to the spindles. I used one coat of primer (Kilz original) and just finished the first coat of paint (BM regal semi-gloss in super white to match my trim).

As you’ll see in the photo the Java stain shows through on the tops in some places and the paint if uneven and there are drips everywhere. What should I do? Should I prime again over the paint? Sand down the paint and do two more coats? How do I get even coverage and a smooth surface now?