"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in
:


"A. Brown" wrote in message
...
Several years ago, my DH used marine spar varnish to coat the wooden
pillars and deck railing on our front porch. It's now peeling off the
wood.

I'd like to refinish it (with something else!), but am unsure of how
best to remove the existing varnish.

Suggestions please?

Wire wheel works well.

Spar varnish is usually a good choice for outdoor wood. Last year I
used Sikkens Cetol Marine on a couple of things but it is too soon to
tell just how good it is.



Wouldn't the wire wheel scratch up the wood? I have a wire brush, but was
hesitant to try that for the same reason. I'm not sure what the
pillars/columns are made of, but they seem like a relatively soft wood -
they're not solid, they're "faux" Doric columns that are apparently just
"wrapped" around whatever is really supporting the roof.

The spar varnish still looks great from the inside of the porch - but
anywhere it's been exposed to the sun and water, it's in bad shape. I'm
guessing that he didn't do much (or any) prep work on it before putting
on the varnish, and I have no idea what sort of finishes may have been
put on the wood in previous years.