Using Paint Stripper

If you are faced with a mainly painted surface, you may want to look into using paint stripper, or stripping solution

Using old paint brushes to apply paint stripper is ideal

which can ease away old paint. Unlike my last article on stripping wallpaper which is generally quite easy, stripping paint can be extremely labour intensive and can go wrong quite dramatically if you are not careful.

Paint is absorbed into everything it touches and is general quite messy, but the stripping liquids can damage clothes, skin and furniture if not used correctly! This article will cover general practices for using liquid (or gel) paint strippers, which can be picked up at most DIY stores.

First things first:

• Get yourself some old jeans and a tired old t-shirt to work in. You may get a little messy handling all this paint, plus you will also prevent damage to clothes if you are splashed with paint stripper liquid. If you decide to go with an electric paint stripper, wear some heavy duty gloves to prevent burns to your hands.

For liquid paint stripper:

• Make sure you read the instructions on the side of the tin / bottle / can. Often the timing changes from brand to brand and you don’t want to leave the stripper on wood for too long, its somewhat corrosive!
• Make sure you ventilate the room sufficiently, and in most cases its advisable to wear a mask to stop harmful fumes being breathed in. I actually enjoy stripping furniture in the garden - weather permitting. It means i don’t have to worry about spillages and fume inhilation.
• Apply the gel or liquid directly onto the paint surface and spread evenly over the surface. Leave for the manufacturer’s suggested time to do its magic. Use a scraping tool once ready to remove the layer of paint, and scrape it into a bucket or empty pain tin for disposal at a later date.
• Once cleaned, go over the furniture with a slighty damp cloth, just to get rid of some of the paint stripping residue left on the furniture. Dry the furniture after this cleaning with a dry cloth or paper towl.
• You can go over any areas once stripped with some wire wool or some light sanding paper until you get the wood just how you like it.
• Allow the wood some time to properly dry once completed, this will prevent any problems down the line when you decide to re-finish.
• Last step – enjoy your wonderful new furniture, and get the wood stain out!

Look out for my how-to on using an electric paint stripper in the near future.