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If you're thinking about stripping a piece of furniture for the first time, there's a good chance you've already heard some horror stories.
It's messy. It's dangerous. It takes forever. You'll ruin the wood. Just sand it instead. After professionally refinishing furniture for over 27 years, I can tell you this: Stripping furniture doesn't have to be scary. In fact, when it's done correctly, removing the existing finish is often one of the best ways to prepare an older piece of furniture for refinishing. But there are definitely some things you should—and shouldn't—do. Here are my biggest do's and don'ts for stripping furniture, especially if you're doing it for the first time. DO: Figure Out What You're Actually Trying to Remove Before reaching for a furniture stripper, take a minute to look at the piece. Are you removing an old clear finish? Paint? Several layers of finish? Is the piece solid wood, or does it have veneer? Different finishes behave differently, and not every stripping product works equally well on every coating. You don't necessarily need to become an expert at identifying finishes before you begin. But you should understand that there isn't one stripping method that's perfect for every piece of furniture. Testing a small, inconspicuous area first can tell you a lot. DON'T: Assume Sanding Is Easier Than Stripping This is probably one of the most common mistakes I see. Someone wants to refinish a table or dresser and thinks: “Why don't I just sand the old finish off?” Sometimes you can. But sanding through an existing finish can take a tremendous amount of time, clog a lot of sandpaper, round over crisp edges and details and—most importantly—remove wood that didn't need to be removed. This becomes particularly important with wood veneer, where aggressive sanding can quickly cause permanent damage. A chemical finish remover is designed to help separate the old coating from the surface so it can be removed without grinding away unnecessary wood. Think of stripping and sanding as two different steps with two different jobs. Stripping = Remove the old surface coating. Sanding = Removing minor imperfections while making the wood smooth and uniform. DO: Protect Yourself and Your Workspace “Safer” does not mean “no precautions necessary.” Read the directions and safety information for whatever finish remover you're using. Wear appropriate gloves and eye protection, provide adequate ventilation, and protect the surrounding area. And remember that the finish you're removing matters too. Older painted furniture, for example, may contain lead. If you don't know what you're dealing with, particularly on older pieces, learn about appropriate lead-safe practices before disturbing the coating. A simple lead test is a great idea. DON'T: Start With the Most Aggressive Chemical You Can Find There's an old-school mentality in refinishing that stronger automatically means better. I don't agree. The goal isn't to use the harshest chemical possible. The goal is to use the least aggressive process that will effectively accomplish the job. There are absolutely difficult coatings and professional situations where stronger chemistry may be necessary. But that doesn't mean it should automatically be your first choice for every dresser, table or cabinet. That's actually one of the reasons I developed QCS Finish Remover. I wanted another option in my own refinishing shop that was effective on most common vintage and antique furniture finishes and many paints without automatically reaching for the harshest stripping chemicals. The old "good stuff" as the old-school refinishers call it. DO: Give the Finish Remover Time to Work One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is becoming impatient. They apply stripper... wait a couple of minutes... start scraping... and decide the product doesn't work. Let chemistry do the work. The appropriate dwell time depends on the remover and the coating you're removing. Follow the product directions and pay attention to what the finish is doing. If you're fighting the surface with your scraper, that's often a sign that you need to give the remover more time or apply more stripper. Don't be skimpy to save a buck and end up spending a lot more in labor. DON'T: Let the Surface Dry Out Unnecessarily Once you've softened a finish, don't walk away indefinitely. You generally want to work while the coating is softened and removable. Work in manageable sections, particularly when you're learning. You don't get bonus points for stripping an entire dining table at once. DO: Scrape With the Wood, Not Against It Whenever practical, work in the direction of the wood grain. Use appropriate scrapers and be particularly careful around veneer, edges, moldings and carved details. Remember: You're trying to remove the finish...NOT the wood underneath it. If you're having to gouge and aggressively scrape the surface, stop and reconsider what you're doing. BONUS TIP: Use a metal putty knife and NOT a plastic one. Plastic putty knives make the removal safer, but much more difficult since they don't get under the finish as well as metal putty knives do. If you use a metal putty knife, take a couple of minutes and round the corners of the blade with a file or some sandpaper to make it less likely to gouge or scratch the wood surface during the process. DON'T: Expect One Application to Remove Everything Sometimes one application does the job. Sometimes it doesn't. A piece may have multiple layers, a particularly thick or stubborn coating, paint over an older finish, or detailed areas that simply require multiple applications. That's normal. I'd much rather apply finish remover a second time than become overly aggressive with a scraper or sander trying to force the remaining finish off. DO: Clean the Surface After Stripping Removing the softened finish is only part of the process. The surface should be properly cleaned afterward according to the system you're using. With the QCS Finish Removal System, Finish Remover loosens and removes the existing coating, while QCS Surface Cleanser is used afterward as part of the cleanup process. Don't rush this stage. A properly cleaned surface makes the next steps much easier. DON'T: Expect Furniture Stripper to Do the Job of Sandpaper This is another important distinction. Finish remover removes finish. Sandpaper prepares wood. After stripping and cleaning, you may still need to sand the piece before applying your new finish. That's completely normal. The advantage is that you're now sanding the wood rather than trying to grind your way through layers of old coating. Also, stripper doesn't remove stain out of the wood. This is often a misconception. Stains or dyes that are in the wood must be removed mechanically. This means sanding...lots of sanding, DO: Be Extra Careful With Veneer A lot of beautiful furniture is veneered. That isn't a sign of cheap furniture. Veneer has been used in quality furniture construction for centuries. But veneer is thin. Aggressive sanding can go through it very quickly. Excessive scraping can damage it. And unnecessary moisture can create problems depending on the construction of the piece. If you aren't sure whether something is solid wood or veneer, assume it's veneer until you know otherwise. A little caution can save a piece of furniture. DON'T: Judge Your Progress While the Wood Is Still Wet This one catches a lot of beginners. Wood can look dramatically different while it's wet from the stripping and cleaning process. Give the piece adequate time to dry before deciding that something went wrong or immediately reaching for the sander. Once the wood has dried, you'll have a much better idea of what you're actually working with and whether you have completed the stripping process. DO: Test First This may be the simplest advice in this entire article. Before committing to the whole piece: Test a small area. See how the existing coating reacts. See how easily it releases. See what the wood underneath looks like. A five-minute test can save you hours of frustration. DON'T: Be Afraid of Stripping Furniture This may be the most important one. I've been professionally refinishing furniture for 27 years, and I've watched countless people avoid projects because they're intimidated by the stripping process. It doesn't need to be that way. Take your time. Understand the piece you're working on. Use the appropriate product. Let the product do the work. And don't expect perfection from the first pass. Stripping furniture is a skill—and like any skill, it gets much easier once you've actually done it. Looking for a Furniture Finish Remover that is safer for you and your project? I developed the QCS Finish Removal System from my experience as a professional furniture refinisher. QCS Finish Remover is designed to remove most common antique and vintage furniture finishes and many paints while providing DIYers and professional refinishers with an alternative to unnecessarily aggressive stripping chemistry or excessive sanding. If the thing keeping you from refinishing that dresser, table or cabinet is the stripping process, that's exactly the problem QCS was created to help solve. Remove the finish. Remove the fear.
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