Categories: Decorating & Design

How to Remove Finish from a Wooden Chair

It seems that recycling and re-purposing furniture is all the rage today. Personally, it’s something that I have been doing for years. I love rummaging through yard sales, flea markets and thrift shops in search of furniture that has the potential for a new life. In most instances the items just need a good cleaning, moderate repairs and a refinishing. Some people may find the idea of cleaning and removing finish from an old piece of furniture particularly challenging. I am not one of them. I find the task time consuming, but satisfying and relatively easy. Here’s how to get the job done:

Supplies Needed

In order to remove the finish from an old wooden chair you will need to gather up some materials. One of the things that you’ll need is a container of paint and polyurethane remover. I like using the paint and polyurethane liquid remover made by Formby’s Furniture Workshop. In my experience, it tends to remove the built-up layers of gunk without altering the wood grain. You can generally pick up a 32 ounce container through most home improvement stores for $12. I also like to use a paste or gel for removing the finish from vertical areas and intricate woodwork. If the wood in question has asphalt and tar stuck to it from being exposed to someone’s garage or curb for too long, you might also want to grab a bottle of Goo Off as well. It will typically cost you $20 per container. In addition to the removers, you’ll need a series of putty knives, a piece of burlap, toothpicks, an old tooth brush, sand paper, steel wool and a fiber dust pan brush.

Preparing the Work Space

I’d suggest covering the floor of your work space with a plastic tarp and newspapers. It will help to control the mess and protect your floor. You’ll also want to make sure that the area you are going to be working in is well ventilated. Once that is done, don some safety goggles as well as a dust mask and a pair of rubber gloves.

Applying the Chemicals

Liberally apply the liquid remover to all the furniture’s horizontal surfaces and use the paste for the vertical surfaces. Allow the remover to sit on the wood for as long as the manufacturer’s instructions dictate. In most instances, it will need to sit for 15 to 30 minutes.

Removing the Finish

After enough time has elapsed, use the putty knives to gently scrape away the layers of paint and varnish. When it comes time to work on the vertical and scroll work areas, you’ll need to get creative. Based on my experience, I would recommend that you use a dust pan brush and rolled up burlap to remove the layers of pain around the chair’s spindles. Toothpicks and an old tooth brush also come in handy when it comes time to remove old paint and varnish from scroll work.

Once the majority of the old layers of paint and varnish have been removed, you may want to remove any residual material with steel wool and water. I’d also suggest sanding down any rough spots in the wood at this time. Allow the wooden chair to dry thoroughly before attempting to refinish it. That is all there is to it.

Killeen Gonzalez has a history of completing home improvement projects with her family.