How to Repaint Varnished Wood

Proper cleaning is needed to paint over varnish.

You can repaint over varnished wood. People do it all the time, and, in fact, you can get a superior paint job when painting over varnish. You don't need to remove the varnish, but you do need to clean it. Varnish contains some of the same components as paint and works well as a base to hide raised grain, defects, cracks or splits. In addition, you won't need as much paint as if you were painting over bare wood.

Things You'll Need

• Cloth
• Paint thinner
• 120-grit sandpaper
• Paint brush
• Paint

Instructions

1. Wet a cloth with paint thinner. Use it to thoroughly scrub the surface of the varnished wood. Remove any built-up furniture polish, crud, black grease marks or built-up dirt. Let the varnish dry for one hour.

2. Sand the varnish lightly by hand with a folded piece of 120-grit sandpaper. Sand until the varnish has a dull, white look to it and it's no longer shiny.

3. Wipe off all traces of sanding dust with a clean, dry cloth.

4. Dip a paint brush into an open can of paint. Brush the paint on the varnish in short strokes, moving parallel to the grain of the wood.

5. Brush in sections until the wood has an even coat of paint. Move to the next section, overlapping the previous section by one inch until the varnish is painted over.

Tips & Warnings

• You can apply a second coat if you did not get the results you wanted with the first coat. Oil or latex paint works best over varnish.

• Wear breathing and eye protection, and use paint in well-ventilated areas.