For antique aficionados who are do-it-yourselfers stripping antique wood furniture is both creative process and a chore which begins with some uncertainty. Experience is usually the best teacher when it comes to furniture stripping. Whether you are a novice or a pro each new piece is a challenge which has the potential to yield beautiful results. Not only will these following tips save you time, they will also assist you in making both the decisions and work the processes easier and less expensive.
1. Do not go buy a can of stripper before you first carefully clean and examine the piece of furniture.
2. Remove the dirt. This is best done by testing a small inconspicuous area using either a quality wood soap or an equal mixture of linseed oil and mineral spirits heated to boiling and cooled. Follow label directions for the soap and do not be afraid to do the process twice. Murphy’s Oil Soap is the easiest to use and leaves almost no residue. Both cleaners can be applied with cheesecloth, an old cotton t-shirt or fine steel wool. Since water and liquids swell dry wood, let the piece dry for at least 12 – 24 hours before continuing to work on it.
3. Once cleaned, examine the furniture carefully to determine what type of wood and finish were used to make it. It is not uncommon for antique furniture to be comprised of different types of wood, each type reacting differently to the finish. At this point, do not be tempted to scrape the old finish with a metal or strong plastic tool. You first need to determine what type of finish you need to remove.
4. Don’t know what kind of finish you have? Here are some hints: if the finish overall is dull and thin – it is most likely penetrating oil and can be removed with mineral spirits. If not, in a hidden test area use a rag moistened with alcohol and rub the wood – if the finish is shellac it will soften. If not, rub the test area with lacquer thinner on a rag – a lacquer based finish will soften. If it is a piece of mid-19th century furniture, it is most likely milk paint. If the piece is in good condition, it is more valuable not refinished. If not valuable, using a rag dripped in regular household ammonia will work best to remove the milk paint. If the piece is early 20th century or Depression Era, chances are the wood may have a creosote (black) seal, which will require a lot of several applications of stripper, vigorous rubbing and delicate use of stripping tools.
5. Now that you know what type of finish you have, you need to decide if you want to strip it yourself or have it professionally dip-stripped. Dip-stripping can be harmful to the furniture joints which could mean extra work and devaluation of the antique. If the chair has caning, it is best to take the item to a professional refinisher who also does re-caning.
6. When purchasing stripper, no-drip, water based is best. However, carefully read the labels for which is the best stripper for the type of wood and finish you want to remove. There is a wide variety and each have their own purpose. For the project you will also need safety goggles, solvent resistant gloves, a large trash bag and an organic vapor mask. Be sure to work in a well vented area.
7. Helpful stripping tools include: a plastic kitchen spatula for removing stripper and for detail work: fine steel wool, old dental tools, a toothbrush or even better a brass-bristle brush (pieces of burlap, and mixing wood shavings or sawdust into the remover are also helpful for detail work). After you have the piece covered with stripper place it in a large plastic bag to slow the evaporation time of the stripper. Another hint, adding sawdust or paint brightener to the stripper helps to keep it from running, especially on large vertical surfaces. Oven cleaner can be also be used to strip paint and varnish- it is cheaper than stripper. However, because this process darkens wood, it should only be used on non-valuable pieces which you intend to paint.
8. The key to successful stripping antique furniture is using the right tools, working slowly so the wood is not damaged and most of all – patience.
