Painting Stair Bannister

[DIYDiva]

Hi there,

I am going to attempt to paint my stair bannister with white gloss, it is currently varnished wood, do I need to remove the varnish first or can it be painted over, if not I was thinking of trying liquid sander as I don't fancy trying to sand down the intricate bannister rails, any advice gratefully accepted!

[Clanad]

If you'll do a diligent job of going over the entire banister with fine to extra fine steel wool to roughen the surface, it should produce a good finish. Be sure to remove all residual dust after using the steel wool. Don't try to cover it with only one coat, however. Plan on at least two light coats and three's even better. Go over the preceding coat with the fine steel wool before applying the next...

[DIYDiva]

Thank you!

[bronners]

clanad`s idea about the steel wool is ideal for jobs like yours,thou when you`ve finished the preparation give the stairs two coats of acrylic primer/undercoat b4 you gloss,thou you could also use satinwood instead of gloss it`s very hard wearing and also easier to apply than gloss

[DIYDiva]

Thank you!

I like the sound of the Satinwood paint, I will definitely give that a go.