Painting furniture for beginners

Are you sure that you want to paint an heirloom like that and not just refinish it? I have antiques from both my grandmothers and even great grandmothers and my mother (she is 97) and I would never paint their furniture as I plan to pass them down and not destroy their family history value. If it is in that rough of shape, maybe then, but I would try to restore it first.

I agree. Even refinishing can take away it's value if it is worth anything. You could just clean it up really well. If you wanted to refinish or restore it though, here are some articles to help and show you what would be involved:

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/make-and-decorate/decorating/how-to-refinish-an-antique

https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/home-diy/furniture-restoration/5-tips-for-restoring-old-furniture1.htm