Refinishing wooden pieces like furniture, cabinets or paneling permits you to alter their old, worn or obsolete surfaces into new-looking pieces with contemporary colours. The very first step in this rejuvenation procedure involves removing the item’s recent finish and stain, and also known as stripping. With the assistance of chemical strippers, you might remove the wood’s recent color in a manner that leaves the wood’s grain, character and carved details intact. Although the procedure appears simple, you need to work with caution to make safe use of these chemicals.
Choose a horizontal work surface in a highly-ventilated outdoor place. Cover the surface with paper or plastic grocery store bags. Move the wooden slice on the work surface, centering in about the newspapers or plastic bags.
Remove any hardware like drawer knobs from the wood by means of a screwdriver. Set the hardware aside. Tape off any glass inlays with painter’s tape to protect it from the chemical strippers.
Put on long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt and chemical-resistant rubber gloves to protect your skin from direct contact with the stripping chemicals. Put on eye protection and a respirator to protect your eyes and lungs from the chemical’s fumes.
Remove the lid from a container of mineral spirits or turpentine. Hold a rag over the container’s opening whilst tilting the container to the side to soften it. Scrub the rag over the wood’s surface to remove any wax or oil polishes. Remoisten the rag occasionally as needed. Wash the wood’s whole surface.
Fill a 5-gallon bucket half filled with water. Place the used rags in the bucket, pushing them down underneath the water’s surface to keep them from catching fire randomly.
Open a container of chemical stripper glue or gel. Pour the stripper into a metal can with a wide mouth, filling the may one-quarter full. Replace the lid on the stripper’s unique container.
Dip a two- to 4-inch paintbrush into the stripper in the can. Brush the stripper on a 4- to 6-square-inch area. Apply the stripper to the wood in single strokes, all running in precisely the same direction. Do not brush the stuff back and forth about the wood.
Catch the stripper on the wood for the total amount of time specified on its container’s tag, generally 2 to 4 minutes. Scrape the finish and stain off using a round-edged putty knife when it softens and begins to bubble. Scrape as much material off the wood as possible, discarding it into a plastic garbage bag or vacant 5-gallon bucket.
Apply the stripper one department at a time in the same manner as before. Wait for the stripper to begin working and then scrape off the softened finish. Repeat this procedure across the entire surface of the wooden piece, taking away the finish and stain.
Apply another coat of stripper to your 4-to-6-square-inch part of wood. Rub a piece of steel wood over the part sporting the stripper to remove any remaining stain in the wood’s grain. Use 00 gauge steel wool on hardwood pieces and also a 000 gauge on softwood pieces. Repeat this procedure across the whole surface of the wood.
Wipe off any hanging balls stripper, finish or stain with a rag. Place the used steel wool and wool in the bucket of water, pushing them under the water’s surface.
Wipe the wood down with rags soaked in mineral spirits or turpentine or clean the wood off with water according to the cleaning directions on the stripper’s label. Discard any used rags in the bucket of water. Catch the wood piece to dry for one or two days.
Drain the water from the bucket of used rags and steel wool. Place the rags and metal wool in an airtight container. Sprinkle cat litter over the moistened rags to absorb the chemicals. Seal the container shut and discard it in a trash bin.
Pour 1/2 pint of household bleach and one gallon of water into an empty 5-gallon bucket. Stir the solution briefly with a stick to mix the liquids.
Dip a rag into the bleach alternative, moistening it thoroughly. Rub the rag throughout the wood’s surface, applying the bleach solution evenly. Repeat this procedure to coat the whole wood slice.
Let the bleach solution sit on the wood for 2 minutes, then permitting it to lighten the wood color. Spray a steady stream of water on the wood, rinsing off the bleach alternative. Wipe the wood slice dry with clean rags. Leave the wood to dry for at least 24 hours.
