I painted all my dark, varnished interior doors--18 of them (I have a 2 bedroom condo), including the interior side of each of the exterior doors. One of the best things I ever did--it sure brightened up my condo. I lightly sanded with an electric sander, then applied 1-2-3 Primer, followed by 2 (maybe 3--can't remember) coats of semi-gloss paint. They have held up very well over 10 years' time--just a few nicks on a couple of them, which I can easily cover up with paint. Go for it!!! Marilyn
My sister bought a really nice house but for some reason the kitchen cupboards are made of plywood. In an attempt to make them look good, they've been varnished too many times-and each coat is THICK. She wants me to help paint them-I think they should be stripped first, she doesn't. Does anyone have any experience with painting over varnish? What kind of paint did you use? If you stripped it, did you put on a sealer and then paint?
Also, there is one cabinet that is laminated-how does one paint over that? Please help!!
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Request: Painting Over Varnish
Archived on 12/24/2008
I want to paint my bathroom vanity and door. It is varnished and I want to paint over it. Since it is in the bathroom will the paint peel off because of the moisture in the bathroom?
Pat from Ohio
Answers:
RE: Painting Over Vanished Cabinets
I don't know if this will work in your situation, but check out a product called Kiltz. We have used it to cover things before painting them. You will find it in the paint dept. at Home Depot or Lowe's and you would paint it on the cabinets as a primer. Ask someone working in the paint dept. about using it for your cabinets. (06/29/2004)
By Ann
RE: Painting Over Vanished Cabinets
No need to use Kiltz, it isn't designed to adhere to slick surfaces. Zinsser makes a primer called Cover Stain. Valspar makes one called Glossy Surface Primer. They should both work on the varnish and the laminate. With either of these, it is still best to slightly rough up the surface with 60 or 100 grit sandpaper (wear a dust mask). There is also a product called Liquid Sandpaper that claims you don't have to use sand paper, but save your money and time and just use sandpaper. Clean with a solution of TSP, rinse very well to make sure you don't leave a residue (Jomax makes a TSP that you shouldn't have to rinse). Allow the surface to dry, fill any scratches or holes with spackle or wood putty. Once the putty is dry, sand it smooth, then prime. Both of these primers are oil based so they smell very strong, make sure you have the windows open and a fan pulling air out of the room.
Once the primer is dry, top coat with a quality high gloss or cabinet paint. High gloss paint will last longer and be more chip resistant than other sheen levels. You can top coat oil based primers with latex or acrylic paint. Always make sure that the primer is totally dry before applying the top coat. Use a low nap or foam roller to avoid brush marks where possible (high gloss paint is very thick and may leave brush marks if it dries too quickly). It is best if you can take the cabinet doors off and lay them out in a garage to do all this. This gives you the opportunity to really clean all the hardware. (06/29/2004)
If you strip the cabinets, you will still need to sand, clean and prime them before you can paint, and the chemicals in the stripper may cause the plywood to de-laminate (it may dissolve the glue holding the layers together). You could use a hand stripper or a sander (palm, orbital, or belt) to remove the layers of varnish, but that will take a lot of time and is really only recommended for slab doors (doors without any decoration). If the doors have decoration or detail, you will need something like a Dremel to remove the varnish from the decoration. Or use a product called Peel Away 7 (check your local hardware store, Ace stores in some areas of the US can get it). With the Peel Away, you apply the stripper, then lay a special kind of paper on top. When the stripper is done reacting with the varnish, you "peel away" the paper and the varnish together. Once the varnish is all removed, fill any holes and scratches and allow the filler to dry. Sand the dried filler and surfaces smooth, clean the surfaces and allow to dry. Then prime with an enamel undercoat (or any interior primer that will work on wood) and paint with a quality high gloss or cabinet paint. (06/29/2004)
My suggestion is to go to the paint store, where you can get a professional opinion, and ask what should be done. I don't think you can beat a professional opinion! (06/29/2004)
By Syd
RE: Painting Over Kiltz
Does it make a difference if you use an oil base or water base Kiltz primer to paint oil, or water base paint over it? Can you use any kind of Kiltz primer to use water base or waster base paint over it? Please help. Thank you, Harry. (01/12/2005)
By Harry
RE: Painting Over Vanished Cabinets
Just for your info- I painted wood dressers, that had been previously varnished, after sanding them and putting a coat of Kiltz primer on- the varnish still bled through. (05/19/2005)
By Alisa
RE: Painting Over Vanished Cabinets
We bought Bullseye 123 primer at Wal-mart. It is water based and you just clean the varnished surfaces with ammonia and water and make sure you clean them well. Put on the Bullseye Primer and wait about one hour. Then paint. Have had great success. (05/24/2005)
By Byron
RE: Painting Over Varnish
I would think that after you paint it, as long as you put on a sealant it should be all right. The sealants work for wood that is left outside in the rain and snow. Vicki in SC. (07/05/2005)
All of my bedroom furniture was varnished wood but I wanted white! I just cleaned it really good with an ammonia & water solution. Then painted with Wal-Mart white enamel paint. No bleeding, no chipping. That was 5 years ago and it still looks great. (07/06/2005)
I paint over varnish, you may have to do it twice if you use an inexpensive paint. (07/06/2005)
By Annette
RE: Painting Over Varnish
Kilz is usually water and methanol based, which may mobilize softer varnishes, rather than coating them. I've had good luck with TSP, light sandpapering, wipe, and then a good primer layer. Get something for high wear surfaces.
(07/31/2005)
RE: Painting Over Varnish
I am putting my house on the market shortly and all the doors to the bedrooms, bathrooms and closet doors look worn. I got a few quotes to replace them and it was much too expensive. How could I paint them so that they look good. I was thinking of either white or off white paint. (04/09/2006)
By ann
RE: Painting Over Varnish
Behr (can be purchased at any Home Depot) has a primer that works over laminates, glass, and any other slick surface. It's in a purple can. Just apply this, then your paint color. Depending on the surface you are painting, you may want to finish with a few coats of poly (water based poly will not change the color painted, while oil based will change color to look amber-if using a white finish coat). (04/20/2006)
