Painting Over Glossy Finished Wood

Removal of Gloss

• If the glossy wood has several coats of gloss finish applied, remove them before applying paint. Apply stripper to the coats with a brush, allowing the stripper to sit for 30 minutes before you scrape away the old, gloss paint of finish with a putty knife. Use a #000 steel wool pad to finish rubbing down the surface after the stripper has been applied and removed. Sand the bare surface with 60-, 80- and 120-grit sanding discs attached to an orbital sander.

Preparation of Gloss

• Leave the glossy surface in place if there are no more than two coats on the surface. Sand its surface lightly with 120-grit sand paper attached to an orbital sander. The purpose of this step is to scratch the surface and dull the gloss. The scratches on the gloss surface will serve as binders, binding the new paint to the old, gloss surface.

Cleaning

• Clean the sanded gloss surface with paint thinner, which will soften the gloss and create a better bonding atmosphere for the new paint. However, if you have completely removed the gloss down to the bare surface, then wipe the surface clean with a damp cotton rag. If the water from the rag raises the wood grain of the surface, then lightly sand the grain with 120-grit sandpaper and wipe the dust away with a dry rag.

Painting

• Apply the paint in thin coats as to cover the gloss surface. Thinner coats are less likely to run and will dry quicker. Use oil-based paint rather than water-based. Oil-based paint is more likely to bond with the old, gloss surface than is water-based. Allow 30 minutes to one hour drying time between coats. If scratches are visible through the first coat of paint, wipe the dry coat down with #0000 steel wool.