Wood related type question...

[Aqualoon]

I bought a home made canopy off CR last week.  It's in great shape however it doesn't match my stand.  My stand is also home made and the guy that sold it to me gave me the rest of the stain he used.

My question is, can I just stain this canopy or do I have it sand it down first?

The canopy doesn't have a glossy feel to it, if you run your fingers on it it's a bit more of a rough feel then a smooth but not so much as you'll get splinters.

[...]

A light sanding is always recommended. Even if the existing stain/color is lighter than the stain you want to use it may alter the finished color. From that perspective a decent sanding would be in order as drains "soaks into" the raw timbers they're used on.
A little more time and effort on the front end, but time and energy saved if you don't sand and end up ruining the possibility of a stain match.