The bannister on the stairs in my house was initially painted with gloss. Someone has then stained and varnished over it which looks ok but i want to revert it back to white.

The question is will i simply be able to paint over with gloss? will it need undercoating? or will it need something else?

thanks for your help

 

It will need sanding, and a solvent based primer
Oil- or shellac- based

If it is very dark, I'd recommend the shellac-based

Then you can paint it with a gloss paint, oil-based or water-based
I'd recommend a quality water-borne enamel
It's easier clean-up than oil, will look glossy and hold up well

 

Thanks for that,

Its only to make it look good for a while whils i sell my house.

Its not really going to get any wear on it, therefore how would it look just painted over?

 

So you don't care if the paint falls off in a couple of month because it will be the new owners problem? Any other fix ups you need help with?

 

ethically not great however if im honest no i dont really care; so to answer the post what do you think?

 

Without the proper prep and paint you would be lucky if it lasts long enough to sell it

If you just painted it with a gloss paint, it could all slid off and be on the stairs in a big glop the next day
If you got it to stick at all
There's a chance some might hold on for a few days, maybe a week, or possibly even longer
Even if somehow it stuck for a few weeks (not likely on varnish), any potential buyers holding the rail going downstairs could be scraping it off with their hands
Never mind at any time potential buyer could open the door and see that the paint has wrinkled up overnight and is sliding off
It's not a pretty picture

Ethics aside*
Its simply not a good idea on your end


*And you would also be creating a larger problem for the new owners, as they'll now have extra steps (and extra messy ones at that) to correct the problem you created
So it's a little more than the new owners will have to slap a new coat of paint on it

 

thanks - youve convinced me i need to put a bit of effort in here and not use an easy way out. thanks for the posts

 

Quality work can often be a good selling point. Shoddy work can turn customers away or drive the price down.