Re-Varnishing

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I have a varnished pine window sill, around 6 foot long. It has gone a little dull over time so I wish to redo it.

What's the best way to re-varnish it? Sand it all back and start from scratch or would a light sand and a new coat of varnish suffice. I'd like it really shiny so don't mind putting the extra work in to do the job right. If you could tell me what grit paper to use too that'd help.

Thanks Li
 
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Personally I would sand it back to the wood.

As a professional decorator I am lucky enough to have lots of very nice German sanders. If I had to sand it by hand, I would use 80 grit aluminium oxide paper with a cheap cork sanding block to remove the varnish. I would then use something like 150 grit paper to sand the wood, remembering to sand with the grain rather than across the grain. If you do not sand with the grain, you risk seeing scratch marks once the first coat of varnish is applied.

Assuming that you are using oil based varnish- the first coat is typically thinned with white spirit. Sand lightly with 240 grit silicone carbide paper between each coat (dusting off thoroughly after, you can use a vacuum cleaner brush attachment and a tack cloth if you want (( Tack cloths are "sticky" rags that the dust will stick to as you rub it over the surface)) ).

For a high gloss finish, I would expect to apply 3 or 4 coats.
 
Thanks so much for the detailed reply. It is just what I needed. Grateful thanks
 
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