You can easily transform a piece of furniture on the cheap by removing the old paint and restoring the wood to its original state. By stripping old furniture down to natural wood, you can ensure a smooth surface, free of bumps and blemishes, that can be polished, varnished or even stamped for a whole new look. First make sure you know what finish you are stripping because paint, polish, lacquer or varnish require different treatments.
Team: On hand, you need a paint stripper, liquid or in the form of a jelly, methylated spirits and turpentine. A pair of rubber gloves, an old paintbrush 25 – 50mm wide, a scraper, coarse wire wool and fine to medium sandpaper.
paint stripping: if you are a professional for tough jobs, you can remove it by immersing the item in a caustic bath. A safer suggestion I would recommend by hand, using a chemical stripper; this gives excellent results as it adds an extra shine to bare wood.
Method: First, make sure your work area is well ventilated, as paint stripper gives off unpleasant fumes. Remove all accessory handles, key guides, etc., then begin brushing stripper on painted areas, apply stripper to all cracks/crevices. When you have covered a workable area, allow the stripper to work for several minutes. When it starts to bubble, remove the layer of paint with your putty knife or scraper (put the paint chips in an old paint can as they are caustic and dangerous) repeat the process until you get to the wood. When all the paint has been removed, the next step is to wash the wood using the manufacturer’s recommendation on which neutralizer to use. This will remove any remaining residue while also neutralizing the stripper. If the suggested neutralizer is, for example, turpentine, soak a ball of wire wool and rub the bare surface well. When the sandpaper dries to a smooth finish. Important; always rub in the direction of the grain.
Pickling enamel: Before you can successfully remove, you must first know the type of polish. if this is French Polish this can be removed quite easily with methylated spirits, wipe it off generously and leave it for a few minutes. When the polish has smoothed out, scrape it off with a scraper and then with fine wire wool (soaked in methyl alcohol) when the wood is dry you can sand down to a nice smooth finish. if is one Wax polish (oil surface) this can be removed with turpentine-soaked fine steel wool. Repeat until you are on bare wood, blot with an absorbent cloth.
Varnished and Lacquered Finishes: if the item is 50 years old or older, it is likely an oil-based varnish made from resins dissolved in oils and solvents. The cleanest/easiest way is with a scraper; tilt the scraper away from you working along the grain (never across the grain). Polyurethane varnishes use a paint stripper. Cellulose-based varnishes can be removed with strippers, acetone, cellulose thinner, caustic soda ammonium or turpentine. Suggest testing a small area first to see which works best. Repairs, you can now see the various faults. Your repairs are necessary before the new finish can be applied, drawings may require re-nailing or gluing weak joints, cracks and holes need to be filled. For minor cracks and holes, use a non-shrink or plastic wood plug, all available in several natural wood colors. Large holes should be plugged with a similar piece of wood, cut to shape making sure the grain of the pug runs the same way as the rest of the surface, then glued down. Fine sand all your repairs to a smooth finish for the next stage.
Polyurethane finish: This gives the untreated wood a hard-wearing, lustrous finish that is easy to clean and maintain. Polyurethane can withstand heat without marking, although high heat will damage wood. A variety of natural wood colors are available, as well as clear, matte, or gloss finishes. It is important to let the Polyurethane set; some brands may take up to two weeks to achieve full hardness. Apply the varnish directly to the sanded wood with a brush as the varnish must be applied in layers. With the first coat it is a good idea to dilute with alcohol so that it penetrates and seals the wood. After each subsequent coat (when dry), lightly rub with a fine sandpaper. If you are using one of the color varieties, you may want to first coat with a clear coat, this will prevent the possibility of an uneven finish. If you want a matte finish after using the colored varnish, top with a clear matte.
Finished with Wax Polish: Wax polish can be used alone or in conjunction with polyurethane as an alternate finish. Although wax gives a wonderful warm and mellow look to wood, it is not very practical as it has very little resistance to heat, it marks quite easily, so it is advisable to use it on more decorative pieces. For the wax finish you only need pure beeswax, white spirit, a cheese grater and a glass jar. Grate the wax with the cheese grater into a jar and cover with white spirit. Place the jar in a saucepan of very hot water and stir until the mixture melts and forms a thick paste. Dip a clean rag into the wax and rub it into the clean wood surface, taking care to spread the wax evenly. Apply enough wax to penetrate the grain to avoid leaving excess on the surface. When the wax has hardened (about an hour or so), buff the surface with a fine cloth. With polyurethane, use a proprietary white wax polish. After the final coat of varnish has dried, lightly rub it with a very fine “0000” grade wire wool. Brush off the dust; now rub the polish with a thick piece of cloth to get an even matte shine. Finally polish the surface with a fine cloth. Successive coats of polish, built up at the rate of one every two days, will deepen and harden the surface finish. Not bad for a small amount of effort! Regards, Darryl.