Strip Wood Finishes
You shouldn't throw away a piece of furniture or a nice piece of wood just because it has layers of old paint or old worn-out varnish on it. Instead, think about refinishing it. There could be a beautiful piece of wood under all that paint or varnish. It might just take you knowing how to strip wood finishes by sanding or using chemical strippers to find that beauty.
Contents
Steps
Strip Wood Finishes With Sandpaper
- Wear a dust mask and protective goggles. Sanding old paint or varnish releases minute dust particles into the air that can irritate your eyes and lungs.
- Use coarse sandpaper to sand with the grain. Use a sanding sponge or wrap the sandpaper around a sanding block when stripping flat surfaces to ensure a smooth finish.
- Switch the sandpaper to a medium grit once you begin to see the wood grain showing through the paint or the varnish starts to dull.
- Finish the job by sanding with fine-grit sandpaper. This will smooth out the wood and get rid of any remaining finish.
Strip Wood Finishes With Chemical Stripper
- Add chemical-resistant gloves to your protective clothing.
- Place cardboard underneath the wood. This will catch all the drips from the stripper and protect the surface under the wood from unintentional damage.
- Decide which stripper you want to use. There are liquid and semi-paste strippers. Strippers with methylene chloride (MC) work faster and will remove almost all types of finishes.
- Pour the stripper into an empty paint can or metal bucket.
- Use a brush to apply a very thick coat of the stripper onto the finish you want to strip. You can also spray the stripper onto the wood surface if you have the right tools to do so.
- Try scraping the surface with a metal or plastic scraper to see whether the old paint or varnish is soft enough to scrape. This usually takes about 20 minutes; however, this can vary from 1 type of stripper to another.
- If it is ready, the finish should come off without much effort. If it does not, allow the stripper to sit a little longer or add more stripper.
- Scrape the entire surface with your scraper. You can use a stiff cleaning brush with natural bristles or a heavy cleaning sponge to strip wood finishes in grooved areas.
- Wipe down the wood with lacquer thinner using the brush or sponge. Once clean, wipe the wood with cotton rags. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Allow the wood to dry for 24 hours before re-coating it.
Tips
- Chemical strippers work best if you are stripping wood with many grooves or if the wood has areas that are difficult to sand.
- If the stripper is drying too fast, you can add more stripper while you're scraping.
- Read the label directions on the stripper to make sure you are using the proper stripper for wood surfaces. Read any warnings listed on the label.
- You can use a belt, circular or orbital sander to strip larger areas of wood with multiple layers of paint. Any of these mechanical methods will work faster and be easier than sanding by hand.
- You can also strip wood with varnish or with multiple layers of paint with a heat gun. However, this can be a dangerous method and could cause a fire.
- If you are stripping a large horizontal area, you can pour the chemical stripper onto the surface and spread it out with a brush.
Warnings
- The fumes from chemical strippers can be toxic. Make sure to strip paint or varnish in a well-ventilated area.
- Do not use MC stripper if you have an existing heart condition. This type of stripper may trigger a heart attack in those with heart trouble.
Things You'll Need
- Dust mask
- Goggles
- Coarse-grit sandpaper
- Sanding sponge or sanding block
- Medium-grit sandpaper
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Chemical-resistant gloves
- Cardboard pieces
- Chemical stripper
- Paint can or metal bucket
- Paint brush or spray tools
- Scraper
- Stiff cleaning brush or heavy cleaning sponge
- Lacquer thinner
- Cotton rags
Sources and Citations
- www.refinishwizard.com/stripping_furniture.html
- www.repair-home.com/resources/how-to-guides/how-to-strip-paint.html
