Varnishing old kitchen cha6

[Majimoto]

I bought some old Elmwood kitchen chairs at auction.
Does anyone have suggestions for how to paint or varnish them.
Ideally ,I would like to strip them and oil finish, but I don't have the energy to do all the work involved..
I did one many years ago ,finished with Teung oil, and it is very beautiful.
I wonder is there a varnish that could go over some of the garish painted ones, to give a more natural finish.?
Thank you for reading this far!

 

[Row.land]

You can lightly sand it just to knock the gloss down, then use a tinted polyurethane or a satin water based varnish buh it won't make them look totally natural, it'll just mute the shine and give a more unified, softer finish, wait a minute.. I just remembered a gel stain over the paint should help you inch towards a more natural look then you can seal with a satin or matte poly

 

[J koff]

Yeah, exactly, light sanding plus gel stain is a great move for a more natural, toned down vibe without stripping everything, nice

 

[FurnsbyFinn]

I bought some old Elmwood kitchen chairs at auction.
Does anyone have suggestions for how to paint or varnish them.
Ideally ,I would like to strip them and oil finish, but I don't have the energy to do all the work involved..
I did one many years ago ,finished with Teung oil, and it is very beautiful.
I wonder is there a varnish that could go over some of the garish painted ones, to give a more natural finish.?
Thank you for reading this far!

It's totally understandable to not have the energy for a full strip and tung oil finish but yeah, unfortunately, varnishing over old, garish paint won't give you the natural wood look you're after.
The varnish won't adhere properly to the painted surface and would likely peel or bubble.
I agree with @Row.land and @J koff that light sanding can be a good first step if you don't want to strip them.
Then I'd suggest using a quality chalk paint or milk paint to give the chairs a nice, new finish without the extensive prep work.
You can get a natural feel by using a matte topcoat or a dark wax over the paint.
Again, this won't replicate the tung oil finish, but it will give the chairs a beautiful new life with minimal effort!

 

[Majimoto]

Thank you all for the suggestions.