I’ve been doing a lot of paint stripping lately since I’ve been working on my library cabinet, and it can be quite a tedious process. I thought I’d take this opportunity to walk you through exactly how to strip furniture to prepare it for refinishing. First, let’s get the fact out of the way that the word “strip/stripping” is going to show up a lot in this post. Let’s be clear that we are talking about paint here! (And stain/varnish.) Got it? Good.
Ok, first let’s talk about when to strip the finish off of a piece of furniture, because I personally avoid it at all costs unless it’s absolutely necessary. But sometimes it is necessary, and it’s best to do it the right way if you have to do it. I would say if you are simply going to paint a piece of furniture, then don’t bother stripping it. Simply sand and prime instead. If, however, you plan on staining, or if the current finish is bubbling or chipping or just plain looks yucky, you’ll need to strip it.
What you’ll need:
Paint Stripper
(I use Citristrip, but I’ve also heard great things about SmartStrip); cheap paint brush or foam brush; putty knife or scraper; steel wool; and mineral spirits.
First, let me say that stripping any piece of furniture can always be a little “trial and error” in nature, particularly if you don’t know how many layers of paint and gunk are on it. With my latest project (the library cabinet), I am simply removing the stain and varnish since it was bubbly and I wanted to stain it darker.
The first step is to apply a liberal layer of stripper to your piece using a cheap paint brush or foam brush that can be thrown away afterwards. Follow the instructions on the bottle to determine how long to leave it on. Citristrip is usually ready to be removed after 30 minutes, but you can leave it on up to 24 hours. Take a close look at whether the stripper is taking on the color of your finish to determine whether it is ready to be removed.
When it is ready, remove the goopy layer of paint stripper using a putty knife or plastic scraper. It will not look perfect and will most likely not strip every bit of finish off the first time around. That’s ok! Just get the goop off. Then go back and use your scraper to remove the patchy splotches of paint or stain. This can get messy – I usually have an ample supply of paper towels handy and discard everything into a metal container for disposal. (Check your state’s regulations about disposal of these types of materials.)
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| Halfway through scraping. |
After you’ve scraped off all you can, (and it may take a second application of stripper if your furniture was covered in several layers of paint or stain), go over the piece with steel wool (or a coarse stripping pad) soaked in odorless mineral spirits to remove the residue.
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| Stripped and sanded. |
If there are still some splotches left, I usually give it a quick sanding to finish it off afterwards. Why not just sand the whole thing instead of stripping and sanding? Well, because you’ll be sanding for an eternity and your arms will fall off! Ok, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but you get the point. Paint stripping cuts down on time and effort and is the best way to get down to the bare wood.
Now you’re ready to stain or seal! I recommend a good pre-stain conditioner (Minwax makes a good one) and then you can apply whatever finish you choose.
I hope this basic “how to” was helpful. If you’re new to the world of furniture refinishing, you might enjoy these posts:
How to Paint Furniture: A Beginner’s Guide
If you’re planning on stripping some furniture, good luck!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
I’ve never tried this before, but good to know! Pinning. 🙂
Thanks Heidi!
Great tips! I have never had to strip furniture either. Probably because I have heard it is such a pain. You made it look pretty simple. Thanks for sharing!
These are great tips!! Thanks so much for the post – I’ll be pinning this for future reference!
Thank you Beverly! Glad you found it helpful!
I just had to strip something (actually a few things) so I’ve recently been through this process. I was telling my hubby about it and used the word ‘Stripper Goo’ and he was like WHAT?! HAHA!
LOL! Stripper goo cracked me up. But it really is a perfect description of it!
These professionals also use their skills to preserve and save objects like furniture and accessories
Question:
What if there is a dresser that has already been painted, improperly?
The dresser it self is nothing special, just your run of the mill 80’s pressed board and wood dresser. What would you suggest that I do? Strip, sand prime and paint? Or, sand, prime and paint? I have washed the dresser with Murphy’s Oil Soap and I have it shut up in a closet with a dehumidifier running to suck out any moisture. It has been sitting in a garage and is slightly musty smelling! At this point you a probably wondering why I want to fix this up?
If you can sand it smooth, then I would go ahead and sand, prime and paint. If there are noticeable peels/chips that will affect the texture of the piece, then I would strip it off. Be careful stripping if parts are not solid wood though – the chemicals could damage it. Sanding should do the trick. Good luck!
I started stripping my dinning room chairs yesterday… Holy cow! What a tough job! Do you have any pointers for getting the little nooks and crannys? Getting the back spindles stripped is a huge effort…
Yes, stripping furniture is quite tedious! But well worth it in the end. You could try using steel wool in the crevices if you have trouble getting your scraper in there. Hang in there! You’ll be happy once they are all refinished. 🙂
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I just finished stripping (and yes, the stripping jokes are flying around my house like crazy) a beautiful solid wood bed for my son’s room. There were so many layers on this thing that some of the original varnish/stain is still present. Do I have to remove ALL of it before adding new stain to it? I don’t mind if it’s slightly imperfect as his room will be pirate themed and the imperfect wood color adds to the look of the room. Thanks for any help you can give me!
I would just give it a good once-over with a sander after stripping the finish off to make sure you’ve gotten all you can off. You should be fine after that. Good luck!
I’m so happy to have found this post! I’ve been in the process of stripping this gorgeous antique dresser I found at my local thrift store- gorgeous shape and exactly what I wanted- but covered in disgusting flaking white paint AND horrible dark green varnish. I think I’m finally done with the stripping- did it twice. But there’s still paint in all the nooks and crannies that I can’t get to and lots of little bits of residue everywhere and I wasn’t really sure what to do next to take care of that. But I will definitely pick up some steel wool and give it a good scrub with mineral spirits and see if I can get it ready to sand and prime. I got an oil based primer and oil based charcoal grey paint that the guy at the hardware store recommended. This is my first time taking on a project like this, but I am determined to finish it! I even bought some gorgeous crystal drawer pulls to add when it’s done. Any feedback you can give me would be much appreciated! Thanks for the great info!
Definitely try the mineral spirits w/ steel wool. You may also need to use a sheet of fine sandpaper and shove it in some of the crevices if the residue is extra stubborn. I’d love to see photos when you finish it! It sounds like it’s going to be beautiful.
Citristrip worked great on my painted dresser and large wood black stained door. Love it. No one knew I was using it because of the scent and it did exactly what I needed it to do.
That’s great, Mary! So glad it worked well for you.
I have an old desk and dresser set that I’m thinking about refinishing. They have a layer of black spray paint on them over the original wood finish. They spray paint isn’t flaking off it just isn’t very even and the pieces have a lot of scratches and nicks in them that need to be repaired. Would you strip them first, or just sand, prime and paint?
If you plan on painting as opposed to staining, I wouldn’t bother stripping the finish off. Just sand, prime, and paint. Good luck!
I have some older pieces that have lots of detail (read: very small crevices!) How is the best way to get into all the grooves and curves? Thanks!
I would try a chemical stripping agent like CitriStrip and maybe a scrubbing brush of some kind, similar to ones you scrub dishes with. I think something like that would work well for crevices. Good luck!