How to remove varnish from a painted table?

Question

I have painted a table, and then applied a varnish to it. 
While setting, the varnish became bubbly, and I have realized that there are particles from the brush in the varnish coat.

Is it possible to remove the varnish without removing the paint underneath?
Pictures attached of table and varnish can.

Any help would be so appreciated!

MitchellMc · Accepted Answer

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @EllTee. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about varnish.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be possible to remove the varnish entirely without also affecting the paint underneath. Your only real options would be stripping or sanding. Using a chemical stripper will remove everything down to the base surface, including the paint layer, while sanding doesn’t allow enough control to remove just the clear varnish and stop perfectly at the paint.

The only possible compromise would be to try very lightly wet-sanding the surface using fine wet-and-dry sandpaper, around 800 to 1000 grit, with a bit of water to lubricate the surface. This might help smooth out some of the bubbles and remove loose brush particles, but you’d need to be extremely careful not to sand through to the paint layer. Even then, it’s tricky and unlikely to completely remove all imperfections; it may only improve the surface slightly. You'd then be able to recoat.

What you’re seeing is likely a compatibility issue between the varnish and the paint. Most varnishes are designed to go over bare timber rather than painted surfaces, which can cause bubbling or crackling as the layers react or fail to bond properly. It’s also possible that the varnish was overworked during application or that there was trapped air in the brush or pot. Sadly, in this case, there isn’t a reliable way to fully save the finish without starting again.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell