Updated 2024 by Stephen Cochrane
One of the most common DIY projects in the painting world is taking a piece of wooden furniture that has been painted and restoring it to its former natural glory. Which means one of the common questions we hear as painters is “what is the best way to remove paint from wood?”. Sure, you’ve seen all the Reels about how easy it is to transform furniture – but what you don’t see is that stripping paint off wood is hard work, and easy to mess up. It comes down to the right method of stripping for the piece you want to work on. If it matters, don’t attempt to do it yourself, call in Perth’s most awarded renovation painters – we’re here to help.
Wood Stripping 101
- Choose a practice piece first. If you’ve never stripped paint off wood before choose a cheap and cheerful, small item to practice with. Spotted something nice, but not too nice on Marketplace? Perfect. Don’t start with great-grandma’s antiques.
- Stripping kitchen cabinets and other fittings? If you’re not restoring furniture, if you’re renovating your home and need to strip paint from kitchen cabinets, decks, balustrades, doors and window frames, seeking the advice of a professional painter first may save you a lot of wasted time and effort.
- It takes longer than you’d think. Depending on how you strip the paint, it may take a lot longer than you think. Yes, that woman on Insta did it in no time… that’s because her video editing skills are excellent. Sanding, especially is a long, methodical process if you want a great result. Choose a small item first. See if you’re really committed to a big project!
- Know your paint. Stripping paint from older furniture could mean multiple layers of paint, and some of those layers could contain lead or VOCs. The act of sanding down the layers creates airborne paint particles, which is the fastest way to inhale some pretty nasty chemicals. Safety first, use a mask.
- Fiddly bits are a pain! Sure, that decorative turning, the intricate carving, the tiny details that make the piece so delightful, those are going to be excruciating to strip if you’re using sandpaper. You will need to consider your method carefully. Again, start simple or you could find yourself accidentally stripping off features!
- Stain, veneer and patina. Stains and veneers are just layers applied to the wood that can be “stripped” in the same way you’re stripping your paint. But, if you’re upcycling a piece with a natural patina, step away and reconsider. A patina, unlike a stain or veneer, is the rich, natural colour of wood left uncoated for a long period. Stripping the natural patina off an antique piece of furniture will immediately devalue it significantly. If you don’t know if it’s a stain or a patina, then don’t touch it. Stick to modern pieces until you’re a master paint stripper!
- Know when to stop. It’s OK to decide that furniture restoration isn’t for you. All over Perth, garages and sheds are filled with half finished furniture restoration projects. If you’re working on a feature in your home, and you realise you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, stop. It’s better to concede defeat and call in professional painters than it is to do lasting damage to your home.
So, what’s the best way to strip paint off wood?
There are a few simple methods for renovating the wood and they all have their pros and cons.
1. Sandpaper – For Single Layers of Paint
This method has the advantage of being the least dangerous in that it doesn’t involve any tools or chemicals. It is however probably the most labour intensive and is best suited to woodwork that has only a single coat of paint, or has been painted with a distressed finish. Sanding with sandpaper is a long, methodical job, that needs to be done properly to produce the proper finish. Get comfy, you’ve got a big task ahead. Sandpaper creates dust, so don’t forget your mask.
How to strip paint with sandpaper
Well you put a fair bit of elbow grease into it and … sandpaper away the paint until it is all gone. For fiddly pieces, sanding with sandpaper is going to make you want to cry. Be mentally prepared.
2. Heat Gun – For Detailed Pieces
The heat gun method has the advantage of being a little bit easier than the sandpaper method and also doesn’t involve the use of caustic chemicals. You can purchase a heat gun or hire, depending on the size of the area your need to strip.
Heat guns are good for stripping paint from furniture that have mouldings or intricate designs. They also work well when there are multiple layers of paint to be stripped. The hardest thing about using a heat gun for stripping paint is avoiding burning the wood you are stripping. This will take a bit of practice so you might like to perfect your technique on a test piece of wood first. And, if you’re doing wooden features like balustrades or decorative wall features at home, try very, very hard not to burn your home down. We recommend using professional house painters to remove paint this way. Heat guns can created fumes so don’t forget your safety gear!
How to strip paint with a heat gun
Once you are ready to go set your heat gun to a temperature of 400-600 degrees, hold it about 10cm away from the surface of the paint and slowly move it back and forth over the paint until the paint starts to bubble. Once the paint is bubbling stop applying heat and use your scraper to remove it from the wood. When the majority of paint has been removed to your satisfaction you will need to run sandpaper over the wood to remove any excess paint and residue.
3. Chemical Paint Strippers – for Large, Flat Pieces
Chemical paint strippers may be the quickest and easiest way to remove paint from wood but they are also extremely toxic and caustic so need to be handled with care in a well ventilated space. Chemical paint strippers are best used when the thing you are removing paint from is flat and doesn’t contain complex grooves or decorative trim. Once you have set yourself up in a well-ventilated area with gloves, eye-protection and plenty of drop cloths, you are ready to go.
How to strip paint with paint stripper
Simply brush the stripper onto the wooden surface … and then wait. Different strippers take different amounts of time to work but you will know it has worked when the paint has softened and started to crack. Once the paint has softened it should be very easy to scrape away. Once the wood is dry you will need to sand it to remove any excess paint or staining.
Whatever your favoured method, removing paint from wood is a thankless job. The end result will come down to your skill, your patience, the state of the wood and quality of the tools you use. There is, however, nothing more satisfying than a beautifully restored piece of furniture, that you brought back to life by hand.
