In
This Article:
One hundred year old
varnished oak trim is coated with paint stripper, scrubbed and
rinsed. |
Related
Articles:
|
Skill Level:
2 (Basic)
|
Time Taken:
A Couple Of Hours
|
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
There are many different chemicals available for removing old
varnish. There are synthetic stripping products that contain
volatile petrochemicals such as methylene chloride. But methylene
chloride is a known carcinogen, and using it safely requires lots of
ventilation and protective gear.
There are also varnish strippers made from natural products.
Believe it or not, paint stripper can be made from oranges (orange
peels, I think). Citristrip is one such product, and it is sold
widely. We have been buying half-gallon jugs of Citristrip at Home
Depot for about $16. Citristrip is more expensive than
petrochemical-based stripper, but it's well worth the extra.
Of course Citristrip smells like oranges. At first I though mmm,
that's nice, but after using this stuff for a couple of hours I
started to hate the smell of oranges.
While using Citristrip indoors may be safe, we prefer to work
outdoors, mainly because rinsing the boards is easier outdoors.
|
In a shady area in front of the garage, we
set up this table top on a pair of saw horses.
This table top is upside down, so the 2x2 frame will
keep the liquid from spilling over the edge.
|
|
We clamped a piece of 3 foot wide plastic
to the table top. This should keep the stripper from
soaking into the wood. |
|
|
|
We set up a pair of saw horses with an old
aluminum ladder laying on top.
This will serve as the rinse rack. |
|
We poured some Citristrip into a quart
plastic paint pail and began brushing the liquid on the
trim.
It's important to wear chemical resistant gloves
when using any paint stripper. Even though Citristrip is
made from a natural product, it will give your skin a
chemical burn. Do not use ordinary latex gloves... they
will fall apart when exposed to paint stripper.
|
|
|
|
For best results, Citristrip needs to be
applied in a thick layer. |
|
We applied Citristrip to several pieces at
a time. |
|
|
|
After a few minutes the surface starts to
look bubbled. |
|
Citristrip seems to dry out quickly,
especially when we do this outdoors.
To keep the stripper wet, we use a small garden
chemical sprayer to spray a light mist of rubbing
alcohol on the trim. Denatured alcohol seems to work
even better, but it costs MUCH more than rubbing
alcohol. |
|
|
|
The Easy Part: Break Time
We let the stripper sit for about 15 minutes.
Citristrip works slower at cooler temperatures (i.e.
below about 70 degrees) so the amount of waiting needs
to be increased. |
|
But... the Citristrip will dry out faster at higher temperatures
or in breezy weather, so the trim will need to be "spritzed"
with alcohol to keep the surface wet.
We always do varnish stripping in the shade because Citristrip
evaporates way too fast in direct sunlight.
I suppose you could cover the surfaces with plastic to prevent
drying, but that will create another cleanup issue. We've had good
results simply spraying alcohol to keep the stripper fresh.
Scrubbing Wood Trim To Remove The Old Finish:
This is a 3M scrubbing pad sold for the
purpose of stripping paint and varnish. |
|
|
|
After about 15 minutes, we tested the
scrubber on the trim. The old varnish readily dissolved,
so we knew it was time to scrub. |
|
Sometimes a plastic scraper was needed to
remove a ridge of varnish or a glob of paint. |
|
|
|
There were some thick varnish spots
(especially where a piece of small trim had been
removed) so we had to apply some more Citristrip to a
few areas.
And of course, this needs to be given time to work. |
|
It's also important to scrape the sides
and back of trim, even if those sides were hidden
originally. Varnish often oozes behind boards, and the
Citristrip will certainly get drip onto the back edge,
leaving a semi-soft goop that will interfere with the
stain and urethane later on. |
|
|
Rinsing The Paint Stripper:
|
We placed a piece of trim on the old
ladder and sprayed it with hot water while
scrubbing with an ordinary plastic-bristle household
scrubbing brush.
This takes two hands, so sometimes it helped to clamp
the board to a rung of the ladder.
|
|
It really is necessary to use hot (or at least warm) water
to rinse Citristrip. We have used cold water from a garden hose,
only to have the stripper turn to a thick gooey mess.
Most houses have an
easy way to get a garden hose connected to hot water...
it's called a washing machine connection. It's
easy if you can reach the hose, that is. Make sure you turn
off the water before disconnecting the washing
machine hose.
It's also possible to connect a hose to the drain
valve on a water heater, but I've seen many
instances when sediment plugged up the drain valve.
Note that garden hoses are not meant for handling hot
water, but I've never had a problem using hot water in a
garden hose for just a few hours. If you use a garden
hose for the hot water connection on a washing machine,
you will probably have a burst hose eventually. |
|
This device is called a Water Thief. It
allows a garden hose to be connected to an unthreaded
faucet.
I bought this at an RV supply store for $5.
|
|
|
|
After rinsing, we laid the trim out in the
sun to dry.
We used a utility trailer, but anything will work...
lawn chairs. a picnic table, the back of a truck, etc. |
|
After the wood had dried, there were still
a few small spots of varnish (those dark spots). These
are easy to remove with a scraper or sandpaper. |
|
|
Further Finishing:
After wood has gotten wet the grain usually becomes raised and
rough-feeling. We always sand the trim after it has dried. We scrape
off any globs of paint, varnish or stripper that remain on the back
or sides. This sanding can be done with a progression of sandpaper
grits, such as 100 grit followed by 150 and 220.
A Time Consuming Project?
Stripping old varnish can be time consuming if the work
conditions are not ideal. I have stripped paint and varnish indoors,
using a bath tub to rinse the wood, and found the whole process to
be painfully time consuming.
By working outside where there is lots of room, and creating an
assembly line process of applying stripper, scrubbing, rinsing, and
drying, we were able to remove all the varnish from the trim in a
dining room in about three days, mostly done by one person.
Stripping Wood On The Wall
For many people stripping the old paint or varnish while the trim
remains on the wall is the only viable method. We removed the trim
because we demolished the entire room and replaced the plaster with
drywall. But some items, like door jambs, were left in place.
Stripping trim in place is an entirely different ball game. I
doubt many people would want to use a garden hose to rinse their
trim. Citristrip Paint Remover Wash is a product meant for rinsing
Citristrip when it can't be hosed down. After the stripper goop is
scraped off the wash is applied (the small garden sprayer could be
used) and rubbed off with paper towels. But afterwards I still
rinsed the wood with rubbing alcohol, just to be sure I removed all
the stripper.
If a small spot of stripper remains on the wood, and later a coat
of urethane is applied, that spot will NEVER harden properly, so
it's important to be thorough.
Tools
Used:
- Chemical Resistant Gloves
- Paint Brush
- Abrasive Paint Stripping
Pad
- Scrub Brushes
- Small Chemical Sprayer
- Garden Hose and Sprayer
- Saw Horses, Table Top
|
Materials Used:
- Citristrip
- Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
|
Back To Top
Of Page
Read our Disclaimer.
Search
Page
Home
What's New Project
Archives H.I.
World
Rants
Contact Us
|
|