how to prime wood before varnishing?

[tan8856]

hi

ive had a new internal door and skirting fitted, they are bare wood. i varnished bare wood once before and had problems with brush marks where the wood was soaking up the varnish so quickly. i was advised to do a prime coat with PVA and this worked well but it was for an old window sill. is this the right thing to do with the door and skirting?

thanks

ps im using ronseal interior varnish

 

[nok1]

never heard that one before. if your getting brush marks its because the varnish is too thick. on bare wood it wants thinning down with turps, if its oil based , or water if its water based.
a lot of times now i use an oil based varnish to seal the wood , thinned down, and then i use bri-wax. its easy to use , dry straight away and gives a lovely smooth finish.
if the varnish your using is water based don`t wax .
hope this helps

 

[Robbie uk]

Never use PVA anywhere near anything your going to paint !! With varnish there is no primer to use before it. Just a thinner coat to start with and let it dry, a rub down, then more full coats till you get the finish you want.
With raw wood the first coat raises the grain of the wood and then when dry it allows it to be sanded smooth.