Painting over varnish?

nickiboop

Can I do this?

I need to paint my banister and it was varnished (badly) by previous owners and I wish to now gloss it.

Can I just paint over the varnish or do I have to remove it completely?

any ideas welcome!

Kizzy001

i painted mine - i was varnished too. Just sand it down a bit to get the gloss off a bit. Undercoat it and then lightly sand the undercoat as well to get rid of any bits that have surfaced, then just gloss it. Worked fine for me can't even notice that it was ever varnished.

TimBuckTeeth

Depends on whether the varnish is stuck well, if it is likely to flake off or bubble then it needs to be removed.
Depending on the type of varnish other paints may not adhere well, a specialist undercoat paint would be best, after thoroughly sanding the varnish.

lolarentt

Treat it just as you wood a painted surface. If the varnish is sound rub it down to achieve a matt surface and one coat or undercoat as you would normally do. As was said already if the varnish is flaky you'll need to rub it back to a sound surface.

rockie4

Don't overpaint with satinwood - it doesn't adhere properly as I found out to my cost, my bathroom door is now covered in scratches :eek:

Gloss works well, I used a proper undercoat first though.

nickiboop

The gloss is sound (but naff!) So a quick rub down and paint then!

Peartree

Completely agree with the above but if you are still concerned try calling the technical services department of your chosen paint company. I favour Johnstones Paints (I'm not on commission I just like them!) - I had them recommended by a professional decorator and they're used by many in the trade. I've called their technical services department a couple of times about covering one finish with another and have had good advice which I know has saved me money. They'll have a depot in your town under Johnstones or Leyland Paints but I've found the advice better by phoning the central department listed on their charts or website. I presume you'd get a similar level of advice calling the technical services department of the company which supplies the paint of your choice as well.

misgrace

Kizzy001 wrote: »

i painted mine - i was varnished too. Just sand it down a bit to get the gloss off a bit. Undercoat it and then lightly sand the undercoat as well to get rid of any bits that have surfaced, then just gloss it. Worked fine for me can't even notice that it was ever varnished.

That works for me, the more shinier the varnish, the more you sand it down, just to get rid as much of the shine.
Dont use a heavy grade sand paper, you dont want to scratch or remove the varnish, you just want to give it a key.

Depending on how dark the colour is, but I would do at least 2-3 undercoats, and 1 gloss.

If your doing Satin, then 2 undercoat, 2 satin, best to use oilbase for harder wearing, water base will peel off more than OB.