"George Max" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 03 May 2006 03:44:16 GMT, "Max"
wrote:


"George Max" wrote

You've said a mouthful. Being the guy I am, I had to learn the hard
way. I too wanted to use latex over a "varnished" surface at my
house. In my case, it was the risers on some interior steps. In no
way shape or form was that paint (Sherwin Williams superpaint) going
to adhere.

I ended up using a heat gun and stripping it all off. It was a time
consuming PITA, but the results after sanding the scraped surface is
perfect. A beautifully smooth surface with excellent adhesion.

I say strip the old surface in whatever manner you want then sand 'er
smooth. Then apply the paint.

Thanks, George.
I had an idea that stripping might be required but I didn't want to if I
didn't have to. On the other hand, I want a good finish and I'm willing
to
do whatever I have to do to get it. I have a good heat gun and I can get
stripper. Which do you think would be better? I'm not fond of stripper
because of the fumes and the mess but if it's what I have to do, I'm game.

Max


Well, the steps I did were to scrape the finish off with a heat gun,
then wipe the surface with a rag dipped in a liquid stripper (Kleen
Kutter) then sand. The surface looked almost as good as new.

I then primed with latex primer and painted with the latex top coat.

If your stripping a door, I imagine there will be nooks and crannies
not easily sanded or scraped, therefore I'd use stripper.

With regards to the actual finish you'll apply after doing all that,
others have also rendered good advise. Read it all and decide what
you need given your particular needs and circumstances.

Thank you, George.
I appreciate the advice. I think I'll start with the heat gun and see how
it goes. If I need stripper, I'll move on to that.

Max