If you are a thrifty furnisher and have a penchant for pre-cherished, you will need to have to know how to clear away varnish from wooden furniture. As I effectively know.
Most of the furniture in our household – dressers, tables, a buffet, nightstands – have arrive from Facebook Marketplace or are second hand. You just cannot beat the high top quality craftsmanship of antique and classic home furnishings. And you seriously just can’t beat the rate when compared to purchasing new. These parts generally have to have a minimal (or often a good deal!) of TLC and so we have uncovered above the many years how to breathe new daily life into a piece of household furniture with paint and stain. This straightforward Do-it-yourself project involves taking away the aged stained complete or varnish 1st so studying how to strip wooden household furniture was a will have to.
There are a couple choices for stripping home furniture and it definitely relies upon on the complete as to which just one is the best selection. We glimpse at chemical (stripping agent) and mechanical (sanding) so that you can locate the correct a single for your task. Sometimes using a mix of techniques is essential for the best outcomes.
And armed with this know-how you can not just strip furnishings, but other wooden things much too – check out how to strip paint from wood for far more.
How to get rid of varnish with a stripping agent
There are various sorts of stripping agents that can be used to take away the stain or varnish. If you’re functioning with an outdated stain that is skinny and currently sporting off, you can use a products like Zinsser StripFast Furniture Refinisher. Thicker varnish will have to have a lot more perform. Discover how to clear away varnish, completely ready for a new complete with decoupage, lime, or the finest furniture paint.
What you will require:
- Rubber gloves
- Stripper
- Steel wool
- Stripper Clean (I like Zinsser StripFast Stripper Clean)
- Lint-free cloth
- Drop fabric (or sheet to protect work spot)
1. Prep your perform area and products
(Picture credit history: Dori Turner)
Discover a location outdoor in which you can lay your fall fabric and place your furnishings on. The stripper has a very sturdy scent so you do not want to do this inside of.
2. Apply the stripper
(Impression credit rating: Dori Turner)
Wearing gloves, utilize the stripper utilizing steel wool, carefully likely about the previous stain. You will begin to see the finish rub off. Continue until finally all of the stain has been eliminated, it could have to have a number of items of steel wool. Use your lint-absolutely free fabric to wipe off the aged finish as you go.
3. Clean up with stripper clean
(Impression credit rating: Dori Turner)
Applying a stripper wash, go in excess of the fresh wood with metal wool to clear away any leftover residue. Use a lint-free fabric to give it a final wipe down. Now your piece is prepared for a new end!
(Picture credit: Dori Turner)
How to remove stubborn varnish residue
If you’re removing outdated paint or seriously thick varnish, you’ll have to have a extra abrasive stripping agent like Citristrip (available on Amazon in several varieties). This gel-like stripping agent goes on thick and demands to sit for a time period of time on the area, commonly 15 minutes or so. Through that time the aged end will start off to bubble up and then you can use a plastic scraper to eliminate the aged complete. This process may need to have to be recurring relying on if there had been several layers of paint or varnish to eliminate. Sanding may perhaps be necessary to eliminate stubborn residue. I normally suggest making use of a prestain like Minwax to even out the surface area after taking away the finish and just before making use of stain.
Can you remove varnish with oven cleaner?
A process that’s trending on TikTok and Instagram with blended critiques is using Weighty Duty Uncomplicated Off Oven Cleaner to strip household furniture. You spray the products on your piece, allow for it to sit for about 30 minutes then use a scrubbing brush to go over the piece. Last but not least, you spray the furnishings with h2o to eliminate the end.
I made a decision to check out this so I could see how it labored for myself. From my encounter, this process really should only be used if the layer of stain you want to eliminate is quite skinny. It does not perform properly on painted or greatly varnished surfaces.
Just before and following of some wooden tables I upcycled by initially removing the varnish. Applying a pre-stain can help even out the wood right before adding a new finish
(Impression credit rating: Dori Turner)
How to eliminate varnish by sanding
Sanding is the other way to strip the old end from household furniture. You can use a belt sander with a coarse grit to clear away thick coats of paint and varnish going the sander together with the grain of the wood. You can use a finer grit for thinner finishes. You’ll want a smaller element sander to get into the hard to achieve corners and nooks of your piece. Once again, you’ll want to use a prestain right before applying a new stain finish to even out the wooden.
People today normally want to know, is it superior to strip or sand home furniture? Sanding normally takes a ton of time and effort and hard work, specifically for much larger pieces. Applying a sander with each other with a stripping agent will make the job go a lot quicker.
Discovering how to strip household furniture is not tough, you just have to be eager to leap in and try out! At the time you have taken off aged finishes, the entertaining begins as you can paint the picket household furniture for a brand name new search of your preference. With these ideas you’ll be equipped to upcycle previous, outdated home furniture into gorgeous showcase items for your household.
