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How to Do Successful Furniture Stripping

Here are safe, effective techniques and tips for using wood strippers.

By Michael Dresdner
From The Family Handyman

Reclaim a Jewel

About This Project

Let’s face it: Stripping wood is a drag. We approach the job knowing it’s difficult and messy, but hoping we can reclaim a jewel from the muck. Knowing what to use and how to use it is essential to success. Here’s a rundown of the three basic types of strippers and how to use them safely and effectively.

Safety First
Stripping chemicals range from hazardous to almost-safe. Some strippers require you to use less protection than others, but always err on the side of safety and follow these guidelines:

Let’s face it: Stripping wood is a drag. We approach the job knowing it’s difficult and messy, but hoping we can reclaim a jewel from the muck. Knowing what to use and how to use it is essential to success. Here’s a rundown of the three basic types of strippers and how to use them safely and effectively.

Methylene chloride, the main solvent in many “fast” strippers, can cause skin and lung irritation, exacerbate the symptoms of heart disease, and may cause cancer. If you have heart disease, are pregnant or are elderly, avoid using strippers that contain methylene chloride. Inhaling methylene chloride reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood and can trigger a medical emergency in people with heart disease. With methylene chloride strippers, you can’t detect when an organic vapor respirator becomes ineffective, so rely on maximum ventilation when using them.

To minimize your risk, take the following precautions:

Choose a Stripper
Except for “refinishers,” which are only for shellac and lacquer, most strippers will remove just about any finish. Choose a stripper based on its speed and safety. A good rule of thumb: The safer it is, the slower it works. You can choose fast and hazardous, moderately fast and moderately hazardous, or slow and relatively safe. Be aware that the safety requirements for each stripper may differ; read labels carefully.

Some modern finishes won’t budge for any stripper, but they’re rare. Occasionally, very old pieces may be covered by a thin, milk-based paint that also is resistant to normal strippers. However, it will come off with a caustic stripper.

Methylene chloride (also called dichloromethane or DCM) strippers soften all finishes, including paint, in as little as 10 minutes. These strippers are identifiable by labels that say “extra heavy duty,” “tuffjob,” “super-strip” or the like, indicating that they contain a high percentage of methylene chloride. They work from the bottom up, so the finish comes off in sheets. Because they work by making the finish let go of the wood, you often need to use less of this stripper than other types. Work outdoors or in a very well ventilated area. As an added precaution, use a respirator with organic vapor cartridges.

Caustic strippers are strong alkalines such as lye. Peel Away 1 is one example of this type of stripper. Although water-based and non-flammable, they can seriously burn your skin and eyes, so wear goggles and gloves and be careful not to splash. Because caustic strippers are water-based, they raise the wood grain and can loosen joints and veneer. They also may darken the wood, so they’re often used when the wood will be repainted. Unlike other strippers, they can’t be left on too long, or the wood itself may get damaged.


Set Up Your Work Area

Set Up Your Work Area
After choosing your stripper, gather your stripping paraphernalia. Dismantle the piece as far as is practical and remove any hardware, making certain you label all the parts carefully for reassembly. I sometimes do a numbered sketch for complicated pieces, and number parts in hidden areas, such as inside the joints. You might even want to take “before” photos.

Put On the Stripper
The key to easy stripping is to apply a lot of stripper, persuade it to stay on and give it plenty of time to work, without interruption. Many strippers contain a wax that will rise to the surface and form a crust to prevent the active solvent from evaporating. If you brush over the stripper after applying it, you disturb the crust and allow the solvent to evaporate. Also, for the wax to be effective, work in a temperature of about 70 degrees F.

Shake the can of stripper gently before use, then cover the cap with a rag or paper towel. Unscrew it slowly because sometimes the stripper spurts out. Apply the stripper in a thick layer and try to keep the work horizontal so the stripper doesn’t run.

I’ve found the most effective way to keep the stripper wet and active is to seal the workpiece in plastic. You can use a leaf bag, or a tent of polyethylene film (available in rolls from your home center). Use duct tape to seal the plastic, keeping the tape on the outside. Do a dry run to make sure the plastic covers the piece completely.

For fast-acting methylene chloride strippers, an hour in the bag should do the trick. Allow two to three hours for the moderately fast strippers, and overnight for 3M’s Safest Stripper. If you aren’t sure, apply the stripper late in the day, bag your work, and leave it overnight.

The bag method works for all except caustic strippers, which you should check periodically, removing the gunk as soon as the wood comes clean to prevent possible damage to the wood. (It’ll burn and darken it.) The other strippers can remain on the wood for long periods without damaging it.

Take It All Off
Put on your goggles, gloves, apron and respirator, then take your project outside and remove it from the bag. Open the bag carefully. The finish should virtually fall off right down to the bare wood. Scoop it off, using whatever tool works without damaging the wood. If you’re using a waterbased stripper, don’t use metal tools or steel wool; they can leave rust marks on the wood.

As you remove the sludge, spread it out on newspaper. The object is to let the sludge dry out before you dispose of it. If the stripper on your piece starts to dry before you get it off, add more stripper with your brush or pad. If the finish still doesn’t come completely off, recoat the wood, tie up the bag and repeat the process. The idea is to let the stripper do the work. If you try to pry or scrape off leftover finish, you’ll nick and gouge the wood.

The basic equipment for safe stripping includes:

Washing the Wood
Before the wood has a chance to dry, wash off any last bits of paint or residue from the stripper. For methylene chloride strippers, apply a mix of equal parts of denatured alcohol, mineral spirits and lacquer thinner with a nylon pad. For other strippers, use the solvent recommended on the container.

Finally, repeat the scrub with a solution of ammonia and water. This will remove silicone or other oils that can interfere with both solvent- and water-based finishes.

NOTE: If you’re using a refinisher, neither wash is necessary. Apply your new finish directly to the stripped wood.

Cleaning Up
Clean scrubbers, brushes, gloves and other tools in the remaining solvent wash. Spread your messy plastic, newspapers with finish gunk and solvent-soaked rags outside in the fresh air to dry, away from people and pets. Let used solvent wash evaporate. This won’t take long if you pour it onto a pile of wood shavings spread on newspaper or plastic someplace where there is no risk of fire.

Unless it includes lead paint, dry residue from household stripping projects is usually considered safe to throw out with the trash. Any residue containing lead paint, and all liquid residue, should be treated as hazardous waste. Contact local health, environmental or sanitation authorities for disposal instructions.


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