"John" wrote in message
...
We have an old piece of furniture that my wife wants to refinish white
for my daughter's room. The piece is a maple piece varnished with a
gloss finish (but finishes are my weak point so I can't tell if it's
an oil based varnish or not...).

I'm assuming I need to sand, but do I need to sand the finish right
off, or just score it so the paint stays? There are a lot of
intricate edges on the piece, and sanding by hand might be difficult.
Would I be able to use my sandblaster for the those areas?

Also, what kinds of paint would people recommend?

Thanks

John


If I understant you correctly, you want paint to be the new finished
surface.

May I suggest you first use a "liquid sand paper" this typically will
temperarily prepare the surface to accept paint. Because it is temperary
you need to do a section at a time and paint if the piece is intricate. The
liquid sand paper is will slightly soften the surface and you can find it at
most any paint store or home center.

Test in an inconspicious area and see how the results come out.

I would also strongly advise using a quality primer followed by an Alkid oil
based paint.