[Phlogiston]

For a newbie, squirting from rattle cans, THE MOST important tip is - - DO NOT put it on too heavy.

The reflex is to paint the toner is if it were - paint. It is not (well it is but-). It is to give tone to the finish. In the case of the "classic" you should be able to see through the color (tone). Uneven is better than too dark. You can put on more later.

In the case of the solid colors (tone), some are used heavily such as VD brown. Which makes trim almost black. BUT this too may be too heavy. Being able to see the grain or shade just a section makes for a good finish.

The GE below is a good example. It does not have any nice veneer on the front. Even the bird's eye is faux (I painted it back on). So all of the shading is done with toner - by airbrush, in this case.

   

Ron, and anybody who likes refinishing should get a compressor/paint gun - and probably an airbrush. Stay away from Harbor F. Tools.