Do i need to get rid of the original paint on my living room door if i want to varnish it?

Hi Shanay, Varnish is a translucent coating and so will show through the substrate underneath (either clear or with a tint). So if you want to have a varnished wood appearance, you will need to get back to wood. You can varnish over paint, but it is still going to look like paint. The best way to strip a door is to have them dipped and stripped professionally - although this can be pricey. Alternatively, if you want to do it yourself, there are 2 basic methods - heat or chemical. Both methods have pros and cons. Heat is effective on wood, but you have to be careful not to burn or blacken the wood; chemicals can be quite messy, but less likely to damage the surface underneath. But essentially, use either method to get back to a wood surface, sanding down to remove the last little bits and then they will be ready for varnishing.

Hello Shanay, Normally if you want bare wood underneath the varnish I would use Nitromors (Chemical paint stripper) or as mentioned, a heat gun to strip but can take time. Alternatively you could use coarse sandpaper getting finer as you strip paint back but again, it depends on how much paint is on there already. After stripping sanding and cleaning off dust, you can then varnish. Kind regards, Matthew Heron Hero Decor

Hi Shanay, Both answers above are correct, however in many cases I have been asked to imitate a wood grain pattern effect upon painted surfaces. The first step is to make sure that the surface is correctly cleaned and rubbed down. Next use an "architect's varnish" in the wood colour and texture that you would like. Next, depending on the wood finish, you should apply a grained pattern identical to the wood that you choose. Most decorators can carry this out.

Bulger Wicks Decorating has it spot on! I couldn't have put it better myself.

Actually, You Don't Have to Sand Wood Furniture Before Painting It. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/options-for-painting-wood-furniture-without-sanding?verso=true