Painting old church pews

[moff]

I have 2 old church church pews which I want to paint, they appear to have been varnished. Does anyone know a way of preparing them for painting as they are impossible to sand on all surfaces with out disassembling them? They will end up on an outside verandah.

[old_picker]

I don't think I would be painting them unless they had already been painted.

They may look fabulous if you go to the trouble of stripping them back. Usually church pews were made of real nice timber. The old varnish comes off easy with a bit of sanding and painstripper in the corners. Your gonna have to do this anyhow as the old varnish has a habit of bleeding through paint after a while.

See how they look in the raw then post pics.

[mongrell]

as old picker says, why ruin good wood with paint

[joe greiner]

as old picker says, why ruin good wood with paint

Amen. Especially considering all the work Mama Nature did to make it handsome.

Spar varnish is specifically made for outdoor use. Named for boat spars, which get severe outdoor exposure.

Joe