Beginners' Guide To Painting Part 2: Stripping

Not all pieces are suitable for painting all over.

I didn't think a straight painted finish would be tough enough for the constant scrubbing and wiping and stabbing with forks that my table top will receive. 

Just keeping it real.

I also thought it would be a good place to slot in a stripping lesson to

The Beginner's Guide To Painting Furniture. 

The top of the table had peeling-yet-curiously-stuck-on remnants of varnish. 

The rest of the table will be painted so I didn't have to bother stripping that.

{Hurrah}

The day you've all been waiting for.

Your Personal Stripping Lesson.

Um, yeah.

You will need:

Chemical-Proof Gloves

Paint Stripper

A Paint Scraper

Sand Paper

You can buy special varnish strippers but paint stripper strips varnish just fine. It will also strip your skin, which is why I've included the gloves in the list. 

You need 'em. I've tried to make do without and it's S.O.R.E..

 The instructions on the back of your tin of stripper should tell you more precisely what you need to do.

Each varies slightly but here are basic instructions:

Pour some stripper onto the area you want to strip. 

The stripper will dry out too much if you strip a huge piece all at once so stick to medium sized area at a time. 

{Plus that way you can get better as you work along the piece so start with an inconspicuous part if possible.}

To give you an idea, I did this 2 metre table a third at a time.

Use an old brush to spread the stripper out thickly. 

It needs to be a good thick layer so that it doesn't evaporate off before the chemicals have a chance to do their dirty work.

Wiggle it into any awkward corners.

Wait for the time specified....don't wait longer thinking it will do a better job, it'll only dry out and be much harder to remove.

The paint or varnish will lift and look a bit like this...

...which means that you can start the next step. 

I find a paint scraper the best tool for getting the paint or varnish off. 

The best scrapers have slightly curved corners so that they don't gouge the wood.

Push the scraper over the wood and the paint or varnish should come away fairly easily. Some stubborn areas will need harder scraping but the stripper will do most of the work for you.

Wire wool can also be used for delicate areas

.....but you'll need MUCH more elbow grease......

and a thick pair of gloves. 

{That stuff is like evil cheese wire. Ouch.}

You may need to repeat the process 

several times to get rid of every last bit.

Wait for the table to dry then give the whole area 

a gentle sand to get rid of any remains.

There! That's the hard bit done.

The rest is plain-sailing and quick!

If you're looking for an easily-sustained good-looking finish for table tops then swing by tomorrow when I'll be sharing what I've found that works a treat for happy family-mealtimes

{Fork-stabbing and all}.