Preparing exterior wood before painting?

[Echofallen]

I've spent the last few weeks (when it's been dry) trying to remove paint from the entrance way porch bit of our garden house. Got the majority of it off now and am sick of it. Tried an eco friendly paint remover which isn't that great and a stripper tool thing which works ok but just removes small areas at a time, also it's difficult to know how deep to go when scraping it and I've accidentally lifted some small bits of wood in the process. The majority of the paint is off now just some stubborn patches left.

Do I need to fill in the small chips/scraped off bits of wood with wood filler before I paint it? Or can I just leave it and do some sanding to smooth it out a bit? I know that I need to clean it somehow, sand it and then apply the primer and paint.

How do I clean it, do I need to use sugar soap or something else? I keep discovering more stuff that's needing done, I just want it to be painted before the bad weather comes :(

Thanks for any advice.

No replies? I was hoping to get this done today so not sure if I need to go to B&Q to pick up sugar soap but I'm worried it might react with the eco friendly paint remover stuff I'd applied which is still on it albeit sticking to the surface. Thanks

I wouldnt bother with sugar soap outside personally, just fill/sand/repeat until it's ready to paint, then wipe down with a damp cloth and wait to dry

I also wouldn’t use sugar soap outside, especially if it’s being sanded. Don’t use polifilla or other water based filler, use proper two part epoxy filler, it will stand up to the weather much much better.

Sand, wipe with a damp sponge to remove any bits, paint.

Thanks so much! Ok no sugar soap then that's fine. I'll see if I can find that epoxy stuff and get a sponge.

This is the type of stuff I mean:
www.screwfix.com/p/ronseal-high-performance-wood-filler-white-550g/45077
You have to work quickly with it as it’s rock hard in about 5 mins.

A damp cloth is fine too, it doesn't have to a sponge

Thanks I got the wood filler stuff and a sponge too. Wiped it down but it's raining again so fingers crossed it's dry in the days to come and I can get it sorted - thanks again! :)

Hot air gun is best for paint removal I’ve found for future reference.

Just sand and fill until surface relatively smooth and no holes that would collect water.

Use something like Bedec msp then don’t have to bother with primer, undercoat etc.

Ah thanks I'll look into that option. Be good if I need to redo this sometime.