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Decorator's Forum
thedecoratorsforum.com › how-to-paint-over-varnished-wood
How to Paint Over Varnished Wood - Decorator's forum UK
May 24, 2025 - You do not need to sand all the varnish off the timber, nor do you need to sand the varnish so it’s completely smooth. What you do need to do is create “a key”. When you sand a surface, you’re essentially creating thousands of tiny ...
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Elite Pro Painting
elitepropainting.com › home › painting over varnished wood: a step-by-step guide
Painting Over Varnished Wood: A Step-by-Step Guide - Painters Serving Indianapolis
December 28, 2023 - However, it’s not as effective as sanding and may not be suitable for all varnishes. Bonding primer: Specially formulated primers can create a strong bond between paint and varnish, even without sanding.
Discussions

is there a way to paint over varnished wood
You could just key it by giving it a light sand (I would use medium grade followed by fine grade sandpaper), then prime, undercoat and you're away ... I have painted over varnished wood without sanding it down first. More on mumsnet.com
🌐 mumsnet.com
January 21, 2016
How to paint over varnished wood without sanding?
Paint Couture or Annie Sloan paint are specific paints for furniture which don't need sanding. I have used it a bunch of times and can confirm. To prevent bleed through, tape your project, then apply a coat of polyurethane over the tape seams. The poly fills in the places where it would bleed through so the paint has nowhere to go except where you want it. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/woodworking
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2
March 26, 2015
How can I paint over varnish without sanding

Stix from Benjamin Moore sticks to porcelain tile. I’d still sand and wipe down with denatured alcohol

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Construction
6
2
October 16, 2021
Can I paint the trims without doing any sanding? Just primer and paint or is not worth it?
CAN YOU PAINT OVER VARNISHED WOOD WITHOUT SANDING? Yes. You certainly can. But you do need to prep it properly first. There are a few ways to do this, but we choose to use an oil based primer to prepare our varnished wood for new paint. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Renovations
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August 22, 2022
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Sherwoodpaint
sherwoodpaint.com › can-you-paint-over-varnished-wood
Can You Paint Over Varnished Wood In Your Home? - Sherwood Painting Services
July 29, 2025 - You can paint over varnished wood as long as you use the right materials and painting process. The best paint to use is a water-based acrylic one.
Price   $$
Call   978-744-6805
Address   142 Sandy Shore Drive, 28117, Mooresville
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Grace In My Space
graceinmyspace.com › home › how to paint wood furniture without sanding in 2025
How to Paint Wood Furniture Without Sanding in 2025 - Grace In My Space
March 26, 2025 - My marketplace find had a high gloss varnish on it, and I was still able to paint over it without sanding!
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Sherwin-Williams
vanderkolkpainting.com › can-you-paint-over-varnished-wood-helpful-tips-and-step-by-step-guide
Can You Paint Over Varnished Wood? Helpful Tips & Guide
November 19, 2025 - However, with adequate preparation, ... well to the surface, giving you a smooth and long-lasting finish. Yes, it's possible to remove varnish without sanding....
Call   616-202-6570
Address   225 Graham Street SW, 49503, Grand Rapids
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Simplydesigning
simplydesigning.net › home › diy › how to repaint furniture without sanding
How to Repaint Furniture without Sanding | Simply Designing with Ashley
August 10, 2023 - But you do need to prep it properly first. There are a few ways to do this, but we choose to use an oil-based primer to prepare our varnished wood for new paint. The oil-based primer will stick to varnished or sealed wood.
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Little House On The Corner
littlehouseonthecorner.com › home › how to paint over gloss
How To Paint Over Gloss Without Sanding
September 24, 2023 - It shouldn’t be a problem. Just give the existing gloss a light sand to roughen up the surface and then apply your new coat of varnish. Remember to sand between coats of your new varnish, too.
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Latex Agent
latexagent.com › blogs › news › how-to-paint-over-varnish-polyurethane-seals-and-more-without-sanding
How to Paint Over Varnish, Polyurethane, Seals and More Without Sanding
May 12, 2017 - Avoiding Sanding and Priming Prep Surfaces with varnish, polyurethanes, or other sealants or finishes require sanding before any paint can be properly applied. If not, the newly-painted surface will bubble, peel, crack or generally not stick.
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ABQ Mom
abqmom.com › home › blog › how to paint furniture without sanding
How to Paint Furniture Without Sanding
May 29, 2025 - Is it better than sanding? Yes! I think I’d rather paint 10 coats than do one round of sanding. These primers can be found at any hardware store. Look for something that states that it will allow you to paint over glossy surfaces without de-glossing or sanding.
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Toolstation
toolstation.com › home › help & advice › how to guides › how to paint varnished wood
How To Paint Varnished Wood | Toolstation
April 18, 2024 - Allow the first coat to dry completely and add a second coat if you'd prefer a deeper finish. For the best results, use a water-based primer that adheres to varnished surfaces without the need for sanding.
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Quora
quora.com › Can-varnished-wood-be-painted-over-without-sanding-or-priming-first
Can varnished wood be painted over without sanding or priming first? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): I’ve never tried this, but think about something. The slicker a surface is, the more difficult it’s going to be to get a new round of anything to stick to it. An extreme example of this is applying paint to a sheet of glass. Done directly, that paint would scrape off with ...
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Tikkurila
tikkurila.co.uk › how-to › how-to-paint-over-varnished-wood
How to Paint over Varnished Wood
For a durable, topcoat for interior wood, we recommend our Helmi range (which has 3 finishes available - matt, semi-matt, or gloss). This is a hardwearing water-based acrylic paint with high levels of colour opacity. Apply a level coating and give allow time to dry completely before applying the next coat. . Once your first coat has fully dried you'll need to lightly sand the surface.
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The Morris Mansion Blog
themorrismansionblog.com › home › home › diys › painting wood furniture without sanding
Painting Wood Furniture Without Sanding - The Morris Mansion
December 5, 2023 - The next step in painting wood furniture without sanding is to finally start painting! The beauty of this paint is just like painting with chalk paint, there is very little prep involved. This paint is designed to go on glossy or varnished furniture.
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CertaPro Painters
certapro.com › home › how to paint over varnished wood: a quick guide to refresh your space
How to Paint Over Varnished Wood: A Quick Guide
April 18, 2025 - Our painters are here to give step by step instructions on how to paint over varnished wood from preparation to clean up!
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Bunnings Workshop
workshop.bunnings.com.au › t5 › Whole-of-House › How-to-paint-over-varnished-timber › td-p › 160924
How to paint over varnished timber? | Bunnings Workshop community
July 16, 2023 - You could either sand the high-gloss bench until there is no sheen and apply Zinsser 1L CoverStain Primer Sealer Stain Blocker, or you could sand it lightly and use Dulux 1L PRECISION White Maximum Strength Adhesion Primer.
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PaintTalk
painttalk.com › home › forums › professional painters forums › surface preparation and application
Painting over varnish | Professional Painting Contractors Forum
April 13, 2011 - Funny, he wasn't going to charge GST and wanted 50% up front. hmmm wonder if he got the job or not. ... you could do: - sand, white pigmented schellac primer, topcoat or - use adhesion primer and skip the sanding part ... Don't skip the sanded part.
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Building Institute
buildinginstitute.edu.au › blog-details › how-to-paint-over-varnished-timber
How to Paint Over Varnished Timber
September 3, 2024 - Answer: Painting over varnished wood may be a challenging undertaking. You may not have enough time to thoroughly sand off the varnish, so a Zinsser primer might help.
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Mumsnet
mumsnet.com › home › talk › property/diy
is there a way to paint over varnished wood | Mumsnet
January 21, 2016 - You could just key it by giving it a light sand (I would use medium grade followed by fine grade sandpaper), then prime, undercoat and you're away ... I have painted over varnished wood without sanding it down first.