If its faux wood, that means it will be a synthetic surface, and paint doesn't stick to it well. You can get special primers that claim to stop this happening... google Dulux for difficult surfaces, and you should use sandpaper before too, which will help the primer adhere to the fake wood. Then you can use a white gloss. Or white satin would look better, or cream. At first, it will all look awful, but don't panic, as long as you use enough coats to totally cover up the dark base, it will look ok. Preparation is the key to a successful outcome. There will be lots of diy sites to help you.

White color for furniture is amazing. Go for it...

I am redoing my room come late July and I have finally figured out (mostly) what I want to do. I would like to have a beach theme, with tan walls and accents of bright color. By tan, I mean this kind of shade: http://www.colorcombos.com/colors/D1B37F

The problem is, the room that I am moving into has all medium-brown furniture. I would really like them to be white, because in my opinion it will go much better with the color of the walls. However, my parents are already spending a good bit on this project, and I don't want to seem ungrateful. I tried hinting that I think white furniture looks better with tan walls, and that I REALLY want tan walls, but my mom didn't really make much of a response. I was talking to my friend the other day and she said she would be glad to help paint all the pieces with me, so when the furniture gets moved out so we can paint the walls, she and I could always do that in the garage while my mom paints the room (which she said she would prefer to do on her own anyways). When I did some research last night I found how expensive the certain kinds of primer and faux wood paint can be. And I know that factor won't help my argument.

So, my question is: How can I convince my parents to allow me to paint my brown, faux wood furniture white? Is there a less expensive paint that is still good quality and won't chip? (we've painted furniture before from white to brown, and it chipped a lot) What is the best option for painting this furniture?