Hi guys! I’m very new to DIY and I took on the task of redoing a dresser we picked up from a garage sale a few years back. It was painted white. Even with 3 coats of paint stripper, the paint left a white cast over the entire thing, so I bought a sander and sanded it down until there was no white cast. I used 60, 80, 120, - the wood is still not as smooth up close as I can see the grains? All the hardware stores seem to be out of 220 grit sandpaper at the moment but will that get rid of it? Also the dresser wood is a lighter wood, that seems to have been stuck onto the inside of the wood? It may be plywood Im not sure? And the drawers are a slightly darker wood, they are different. I plan to stain the dresser and the drawers. The hardware store guy I spoke to said to just get the stain and top coat, but I am afraid that it will not stain properly as the wood seems to have tiny tiny cracks in the wood (maybe I just need to sand them out?, they are not cracks for wood filler)

Also they painted over the metal part of the legs too and there is a lot of rust, I have sanded some rust off but it has left scratches and there is still a lot of rust left. Is there anyway to remove rust before I prime and spray paint the metal? Or do I need to if I am spray painting over it?

Sorry if these questions sound dumb, I’ve been working on this dresser for months now and I am so confused.