refinishing

[ARlife4me]

going from a factory stock wood finish to a darker finish what would be the best route? is there a sealer to get past or a light sanding for a better adhere/take on the stain? on a past project (45-70sbl laminate) the grip texturing was stamped causing it to lose the gray color and be brown from heat or being below the exterior finish. i didn't like the brown on the gray and black finish, so i lightly sanded (by hand) w/800 grit. then used black stain w/o a sealer. i did this 8 years ago and it's still looking great.