Wooden exterior panelling

[robby71]

We've just had a upvc front door fitted and to the side there is wooden panneling which looks to have been varnished.
We want to darken this from the antique pine look to a dark brown but are unsure which is the best way.
Do we have to sand the panel down to remove the varnish and then use a dark stain and revarnish or is there an easier way? We do want it to last and protect

Thanks

 

[foxhole]

You can over paint with a darker wood stain, medium oak or darker, how do you know it's varnished and not a woodstain?

 

[robby71]

i'm just guessing it's varnished.
I'll try a darker stain on top and see if that works, will a stain be ok for protection or should i use something else on top of that?

 

[robby71]

This is the panel

 

[foxhole]

Wood-stain is OK for exterior use so no top coat required.

 

[misterhelpful]

Rub down to provide a good key and use a suitable colour Sadolin:
http://www.sadolin.co.uk/professional/products/translucent/supercoat/index.php

 

[robby71]

Great - do you think it'll be ok to put it straight on top of what's already on without sanding it down?

 

[robby71]

Rub down to provide a good key and use a suitable colour Sadolin:
http://www.sadolin.co.uk/professional/products/translucent/supercoat/index.php[/QUOTE]

posted same time as you did
Ok i'll get the sander out, thanks for the link