As a painter, I don't know that I could even do a project like this with good results. I like stain to penetrate and this is what you need somewhat in order to get it to look good. In the case of staining over some composite or laminate material, you are going to be essentially painting the stain on. I have heard that Polyshades works okay for something like this, but I would prefer a wiping stain....something with a little more pigment. You should rough up the surface some so the stain has something to bite onto, then apply stain with a brush or staining pad, let it dry and then topcoat with some poly.