That robin’s egg blue dresser was probably beautiful once upon a time, but now it is peeling and drastically in need of a change. When you want to keep your furniture but aren’t satisfied with the look, you can solve your problem by learning techniques for paint removal from wood, and get your home looking beautiful again.
Tips For Do-It-Yourself Paint Removal From Wood:
– Know what you’re working with. Scrape some of the paint off to see how much you’re dealing with and try to figure out how many layers there are. If you’re working with really old furniture, you might find there is lead paint on the piece, so you need to follow proper safety precautions when working with paint.
– There are different methods for removing paint from wood, but the easiest is using a chemical stripper. This is a caustic, alkali chemical that is low in volatile organic compounds. Despite the safety of the product, you want to make sure your work area is well-ventilated.
– If you find that you don’t have a lot of paint on the product, or that it is a water-based paint, you may be able to use soap and water with a scrubbing brush to remove it. If you choose this technique, make sure you have multiple scrubbing brushes as well as old rags and fresh water to keep washing away the paint.
– You could also use a heat gun instead of a chemical stripper. This will heat the paint from the bottom up using infrared heat, making it very easy to scrape the paint away with no chemical fumes involved.
– Try to avoid using sandpaper. It is not very effective in paint removal from wood and it will tear at the original varnish.
– There are also paint solvents you could use in a well-ventilated area with gloves and a mask for safety.
When All Else Fails
If you find none of these techniques are working, or you need more assistance perfecting your refurnishing, we can connect you with the appropriate professionals in your area. TalkLocal takes the work out of the search and does the tough part for you. After all, you should be focusing on stain colors and drawer handles instead of tracking down the right handyman.
Tags: paint removal, paint removal from wood, painting
