how to prepare timber that has been heavily waxed for painting? -distressed look going out of window.?

Put a Rubber glove on and wire wool with white spirit, have plenty of kitchen paper with you. In corners use a screwdriver to push the wool in. Leave 24 hrs to dry. If you want to paint it apply two coats of Problem Solving Primer then paint as usual.

The simplest approach to a 'distressed' paint look is to lightly sand some scuff marks into the paint. Since you mention using this in an outdoor living space, you will want to apply a good sealant to all of the surfaces, to help protect it from moisture also. Using a standard urethane top coat can result in some yellowing of white paint over time, so if you want a urethane finish, use a 'marine' grade finish, also commonly known as a 'spar urethane'. Now - since you mention an 'uneven' paint and question if it was sold as a 'bleached' piece of furniture, I have to question - is this actually a paint finish, or a stain? Because it does make a difference. Stain soaks into wood, where paint sets on top of the surface. There is also a 'pickled' type of finish which some folks like - while I've done a lot of it over the years, it was never one of my favorites, lol. IF this is a stain and not a paint, you would spend a lot more time sanding, trying to get thru the layers of wood that have soaked up the stain. The easier approach to a distressed look with stain, is to actually use a solvent, to help 'strip', or remove the stain from selected areas. If this is a stain, you could take a little acetone on a clean rag, and make some swipes along the wood grain, not hitting all of the surface, just here and there. Afterwards, using another clean rag, and some cold water, wipe over those locations again, rinsing out your rag often. This step is to help 'neutralize' and remove any acetone that was left behind in the first step. Acetone keeps working over time, after it has been applied, if left unchecked. I would recommend giving the piece a few days after the 'cleaning' step, before applying any kind of sealer or top coat...otherwise you'll find that the new top coat will tend to bubble off. Paint is especially affected by acetone, which is why I mentioned it is important to know if this is actually a paint or stain. You can take a rag or paper towel with a little acetone, and just wipe it across a painted surface - immediately wipe it again with a dry cloth - and it looks ok - but give it a day or two, and that surface will actually wrinkle up, and come off. Have Fun

You try and sand it and Your going to go through a lot of paper,it's going to clog up,wire wool will remove a lot more and choke up less,all round you have a steep hill with this job.Simplest would be a barrier coat,professionals use this to cover undetermined finishes,an oil based primer/sealer will stick far better then water based,the chemical make up is similar to wax.It does stink and takes a lot longer to dry,but sticks like the proverbial to a blanket.Once on and fully dry you can overcoat it with anything you choose.Taking the cost/time involved have you considered just renewing all the skirting's and architraves?might work out cheaper/quicker,the doors are easy to paint,they can come off.

1

Try and get as much of the wax of by sanding it down ,with a medium paper.Wipe down all the dust down,give it a coat of primer,then under coat then the top coat colour of your choice.