So the first thing I did was give it all a light sanding to take the shine off, then I taped where I needed to and used a self priming paint ( Benjamin Moore's AURA) in a satin finish and set about painting the spindles white. It took a while but I got through it, then I taped off again and painted the handrails black. A few days later it was all done ( if I didn't have to work it would have been quicker!) I am really happy with the final result and here are the pictures to prove it....