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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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If you're refinishing a piece of furniture, one of the first questions you're likely to ask is:
Why can't I just sand the old finish off? Sometimes you can. But after more than 27 years of refinishing furniture for affluent clients, I've found that sanding and stripping are really two different tools for two different jobs. In many projects, I don't choose between stripping or sanding. I use both. The difference is when I use them. My Short & Sweet Answer: Strip First, Sand Second If I'm trying to expose the wood underneath an existing finish, I generally prefer to chemically remove the finish first and sand afterward as needed. Why? Because sanding is excellent at preparing wood. It's not always the best way to remove layers of paint or finish. Actually, it's almost NEVER the best way to do this. Trying to sand through paint, polyurethane, varnish, lacquer or other coatings can mean lots of sandpaper (expense), lots of dust (health hazard) and lots of time. More importantly, aggressive sanding can remove some of the wood underneath the finish, too. That's particularly important when you're working with veneer, detailed areas, edges and older furniture. So I tend to think about it this way: Stripping removes the finish. Sanding prepares the wood. There are exceptions, but that's a very useful rule of thumb. When Does Sanding Make Sense? If you're dealing with a relatively thin finish on a large, flat, solid-wood surface, sanding may be a perfectly reasonable way to remove it. Sanding is also extremely useful after stripping. Once the old coating has been removed and the surface is properly cleaned and dry, light sanding can help smooth the surface and prepare it for whatever you're doing next. A thorough and well-executed sanding also prepares the wood to receive the stain and finish in a uniform and long-lasting way. The mistake is assuming that because sandpaper can remove a finish, it is automatically the best tool for removing the entire finish. This is wrong and sometimes you're making your sander do a job that a stripper can do much more efficiently. Why Not Just Sand All the Finish Off? Imagine a tabletop covered in an old clear finish. You begin sanding. First, you're sanding the coating. Eventually, you reach bare wood. But the sander doesn't magically know when you've crossed that line. Keep sanding and you're now removing wood. On a thick solid-wood top, you may have plenty of room for error. On other surfaces, you may not. You can also end up spending a surprising amount of time changing clogged sandpaper, chasing finish out of corners and trying to reach profiles your orbital sander simply can't touch. And then there's the dust. Removing an entire coating mechanically can create a lot of it. That's why I generally don't think of sanding as my primary finish-removal tool. What About Veneer? This is where the distinction becomes especially important. A lot of furniture that looks like solid wood isn't solid wood throughout. It may have a thin layer of attractive wood veneer over another material such as solid wood, plywood, particle board, or MDF. That veneer may be much thinner than you realize ESPECIALLY on newer furniture. If you sand too aggressively, you can sand straight through it. That's a pain that I want to save you from, but it is a sort of rite of passage for all furniture refinishers. Once that happens, you can't simply sand a little more and make the veneer come back. That's one reason I prefer to remove as much of the existing finish as reasonably possible before I start aggressively sanding a veneered surface. That doesn't mean stripping veneer is risk-free, either. Old veneer can be loose, damaged or affected by moisture, and any stripping method needs to be appropriate for the particular piece. The goal is simply to avoid removing unnecessary wood while you're trying to remove the finish sitting on top of it. What About Detailed Furniture? This is another place where stripping can make a huge difference. Think about:
You can do it, but you may also reconsider every decision that led you to refinishing furniture. A chemical finish remover can soften or release coatings in areas that are difficult (or nearly impossible) to reach mechanically. You still have to remove the loosened finish and clean the surface properly, but you're not trying to force a power sander into places it wasn't designed to go. Does Stripping Mean I Don't Have to Sand? Not necessarily. This is another misconception I hear. Stripping and sanding aren't competing processes. They can complement each other. My basic process is: 1. Remove the old finish. 2. Clean the surface appropriately. 3. Let the wood dry and reach the condition needed for the next step. 4. Sand as necessary to prepare the surface. How much sanding you need afterward depends on the piece, the finish you're applying and what you're trying to accomplish. But now your sandpaper is primarily working on the wood, rather than spending most of its life fighting through layers of old coating. That's a much better use for it. What About Painted Furniture? Paint is where people are often tempted to reach immediately for a sander. And sometimes sanding is perfectly appropriate. But before you start creating paint dust, you should know what you're working with...especially with older furniture. Older painted surfaces may contain lead. If lead paint could be present, don't treat the project like an ordinary sanding job. Lead dust presents a serious health hazard, and appropriate lead-safe practices should be followed. When you're unsure about an older coating, identify what you're dealing with before aggressively sanding it. Is Furniture Stripping Dangerous? It can be. “Paint stripper” or “furniture stripper” describes a job, not one single chemical. Different stripping products can have very different ingredients, hazards, ventilation requirements, protective-equipment requirements and disposal instructions/regulations. That's why you should always read the product label and Safety Data Sheet for the specific product you're using. Don't assume that every stripper requires identical precautions. And don't assume that because something has little odor or smells like fruit, it has no safety requirements. Use the product according to its instructions. So Which Is Faster: Sanding or Stripping? There's no universal answer. It depends on:
A dresser with multiple layers of finish, veneer, moldings and detailed legs may be an entirely different story. Instead of asking: “Which is always faster?” I think the better question is: “Which process removes this finish while preserving as much of the original piece as possible?” That's usually how I approach the decision. My preference today is pretty simple: Let the finish remover do the finish-removal work. Then use sanding for what sanding does exceptionally well: preparing the wood. That philosophy is also a big part of why I developed the QCS Finish Removal System. I wanted finish removal to be simpler and less intimidating for people who don't want to attack a beautiful piece of furniture with a sander or deal with some of the traditional stripping products many of us grew up using that are toxic, flammable, and awful for our environment. QCS Finish Remover is designed to remove coatings so you can spend less time mechanically grinding through them and move on to the part that matters: bringing the piece back to life. Strip or Sand? My Rule of Thumb If you're still standing in front of your project wondering what to do, here's the simplest version: If your goal is removing a substantial existing finish, consider stripping first. If your goal is smoothing or preparing exposed wood, sanding is usually best approach. If you're working with veneer, details or edges, be especially careful about how much material you're removing. And remember: You don't have to join Team Stripper or Team Sander. A good refinisher knows when to use both and with time, you will become better and better at using both. Frequently Asked Questions: Should I strip furniture before sanding? Often, yes. If a substantial coating needs to be removed, stripping it first can allow you to use sanding primarily for surface preparation rather than grinding through the entire finish. Can I sand polyurethane off furniture? You can remove many polyurethane finishes mechanically, but whether sanding is the best method depends on the piece, the coating and the substrate. On detailed or veneered furniture, removing the finish first may help reduce unnecessary sanding. Can sanding damage veneer? Yes. Veneer can be thin, and aggressive sanding can cut through the decorative wood layer into the substrate underneath. Once you've sanded through veneer, the damage can be difficult to repair. Do I need to sand after using furniture stripper? Sometimes. Stripping removes the coating; sanding can then be used as needed to smooth and prepare the wood for the next finish. Can I strip painted furniture? Many painted furniture pieces can be chemically stripped, but you need to know what you're dealing with. Older coatings may contain lead and require additional precautions. What furniture stripper should I use? Choose a product based on the coating you're removing, the substrate you're working on, the product's safety information and the way you intend to work. I developed the QCS Finish Removal System and began Stripwell specifically to demystify furniture refinishing and finish removal. If you'd like to see how I use it, you can learn more about the QCS Finish Removal System and watch it being used on real furniture projects HERE. One Last Piece of Advice: Don't remove more of the furniture than you have to. Your goal isn't to punish the piece until the finish gives up. Your goal is to gently, effectively, safely, responsibly remove the coating while preserving the furniture underneath it. Strip the finish. Prepare the wood. Revive the piece. — Gary LeClerc Founder, Stripwell Professional Furniture Refinisher Since 1999 We’ll be the first to admit it — QCS products aren’t perfect, and if you’ve drifted away, we understand. Over the years, we’ve listened closely to your feedback and reflected on the main reasons people stop using QCS. Today, we want to share those reasons openly — and explain why we’re still committed to being the “tortoise” in a race full of hares. Here are the 5 most common reasons people stop using QCS… and what we’re doing about it. Reason #1: “It didn’t work fast enough.” We’ve heard this one a lot — and honestly, you’re right. QCS products aren’t the fastest option out there. They were never designed to be. The truth is, when you take out the harsh chemicals that burn skin and fill the air with toxic fumes, the trade-off is speed. You are responsible for adding the final ingredient — the catalyst — PATIENCE. And here’s the part that often gets overlooked: while QCS products are sitting on the surface doing their work, you’re not working. That’s elapsed time, not labor time. A project might take two hours on the clock, but only 15 - 30 minutes of your actual hands-on effort. We made our priority safety — safety for you, your projects, and the planet. Our ultimate goal is to achieve speed that rivals the harshest chemicals, but right now we’re happy being the tortoise who will ultimately win this race — beating the competition where it matters most. Reason #2: “It’s too expensive!” We’ve heard this one too — and we get it. On the surface, QCS products can look pricier than the brightly colored cans sitting on the hardware store shelf. But here’s the thing: cheap products often come with hidden costs. The extra hours of sanding. The industrial-grade gloves and respirators you have to buy. The mistakes that ruin those delicate veneers or force you to start over. The toll on your health after breathing in fumes. QCS products were built to do more with less. They go further per ounce, cut down on labor time, and keep you safe while you work. When you add it all up, they actually save money — and maybe more importantly, they save you. We could have made a cheaper product, but we chose to make a better one. Reason #3: “An influencer I trust stopped using QCS.” We know how much weight that carries. When someone you admire and trust changes direction, it’s natural to wonder if you should too. And truthfully, not every product is for every person. Some creators prefer faster, harsher options — and that’s their choice. But here’s what hasn’t changed: QCS products remain the safest finish removal system available. We developed them for the everyday refinisher, the weekend project warrior, and the pro who wants results without sacrificing health or the planet. And full transparency here: we’ve been approached by MANY influencers. What usually makes the difference is how much a brand is willing to pay. Our influencers do receive a humble commission if someone uses their discount code — but we insist on one thing. They must truly believe in QCS products and in what we’re working to do within this industry. If someone decides to move on in search of larger paydays, that’s their right. But it’s important to know that a recommendation isn’t always 100% sincere when money leads the way. Again, we are happy being the tortoise. The “hare” brands can buy positivity — we will earn it one customer at a time. Reason #4: “Shipping cost is too high!” This one stings because we feel it, too. Shipping costs continue to climb for all of us and we don’t pad our prices to hide that cost. We keep product prices as fair as we can, and only charge what’s necessary to cover the box, packing, and carrier fees. Could we offer “free shipping”? Sure — but that would mean quietly raising prices across the board. Instead, we’ve chosen honesty. And in addition to cost, we need to own this: sometimes we’ve seriously dropped the ball and orders have been delayed to an unacceptable level. Almost always it’s tied to raw material delays that jam up our whole system. It drives us crazy, and we’re working hard to fix it so it happens rarely — or never at all. These are the growing pains that hurt, but they also force us to improve. The sad reality is that many small brands are facing the same challenges today. Shipping costs continue to climb, and if you’re an international customer — it’s getting even worse. We wish we could change that, but for now, we can only promise full transparency, fair pricing, and constant effort to get better. Reason #5: “I don’t like ordering online.” We understand this one completely. For some, ordering online feels impersonal, risky, or just inconvenient. Sometimes it’s not even about the ordering — it’s about the waiting. We know many of you would love to just swing by a local retailer, grab a bottle a bottle of QCS, and get to work that same day. We hear you, and we’re working on it. Our goal is to begin rolling out QCS products into select stores starting in 2026. In the meantime, here’s what we’ve done to make online ordering easier:
IF YOU HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR, HERE IS A LITTLE BONUS FOR YOU... 5 Things We’re Excited About (And You Can Be Too)
Reveal something amazing today, friends and fellow strippers! -Gary LeClerc Founder & Owner of Stripwell Flipping vintage furniture can be a fun and rewarding hobby, but it's even better when you can share it with your family. If you're looking for ways to get your family involved in your hobby, here are some awesome ideas:
If you're a fan of vintage furniture, you may have considered flipping it as a hobby or even a business. There’s something about discovering the masterpiece that lies beneath the surface of vintage furniture that makes it a hobby like no other!
But what makes flipping vintage furniture such a great idea? Here are the five best reasons to get into flipping vintage furniture: Flipping vintage furniture can be a fun and rewarding hobby, but it can also be a lucrative business if you know how to find the best pieces to flip. Here are some tips to help you find the best furniture to flip for a profit:
by Tim Holt One of the most frustrating things about the end of Autumn in many parts of the country (besides the end of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, of course) is the weather getting in the way of our stripping, refinishing, restoring and flipping of furniture.
For years, our ability to keep our passion alive has been limited to working in the backyard, the driveway, the garage (with the door wide-open), or anywhere else that those toxic fumes would be less likely to cause any harm. On most days, the local weatherman would tell us whether or not we were going to be productive. The reason for these limitations is simple: toxic Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Theses toxic VOCs are a large group of chemicals that are found in many common furniture refinishing products… especially stripping agents. by Gary LeClerc As we approach Thanksgiving of 2022, I wanted to share a snapshot of my story. First of all, my name is Gary and I am the founder and owner of Stripwell. I am the husband of my beautiful wife, Lisa, and father to my 6 year old daughter, Via and 5 year old son, Lucas. Via and Lucas are adopted and many times adoption is presented as “changing the lives of children,” but I will say that I would not be who I am today if it were not for the two of them. Lucas and Via may not be blood, but they are so much more and are 100% my children and will be forever. They make me so proud. They are filled with such beautiful energy and vibrancy.
So, with that being said, let me tell you a little more about myself. To start, we need to go all the way back to the 1980’s. Who loves the 80’s? Who’s trying to forget the 80’s? Anyway, back in 1986, the song “Walk Like an Egyptian” by The Bangles was one of the longest running number one singles of that year, and the original Top Gun movie hit theaters. Also in 1986, my dad made a change that profoundly impacted my life and the future of our family. In order to spend more time around my mom, my older sister, my older brother and quite possibly even me, he decided to take a big risk. He left his career in the aerospace industry working on jet engines and started a furniture refinishing and restoration business in the garage of our home in Cheshire, Connecticut. Sometimes, I feel like a walking paradox. On the one hand - I really, really care about the environment around me. It’s my personal belief and conviction that the world around us was created so that we could both enjoy and take care of our planet and the living things that inhabit our world. I also believe that there are big changes that can be made to help ensure the longevity of the planet for our children and for future generations. On the other hand, I really, really love cars. That’s right — gas guzzling, fast, rip-roar-those-tires-’til-they-smoke kind of cars. I was the kid with posters of Lamborghinis and Ferraris on my wall who watched Top Gear all day long. (Now as an adult with three kids, I keep those limited to my phone wallpaper because my wife says it doesn’t go with our home’s aesthetic). The paradoxical problem here is obvious — the gas guzzling cars are terrible for the environment that I’m passionate about protecting. Enter my fascination with electric cars. My chagrin for California gas prices aside, I am in awe of the meteoric rise in the popularity of the electric car market. They’re far from perfect in regards to environmental impact, but they do make a world of difference compared to the gasoline-fueled vehicles that we drive today. However, there is one problem: electric cars in their current state are relatively expensive. A new Toyota Camry will cost you in the neighborhood of $28,000, while a Tesla Model 3 will put you in the hole for about $39,000. So why am I the proud owner of a Tesla Model 3? Because for me, there is something so much more important to life than a price tag. As someone who wants to leave the world a better place than I found it for my kids, in most areas of my life, I’m much more concerned with the cost than I am with the price of something. Cost vs. PriceVery simply, the definitions of price and cost are as follows:
Welcome to QCS!Congratulations! You did it! You just unboxed our flagship product - QCS Finish Remover! 🙌🏼 We’re so glad you made the bold choice of choosing your health and well-being over the status quo. We believe that you won’t regret your decision! QCS stands for QUICK, CLEAN and SAFE and QCS Finish Remover is all of those things. It is eco-friendly, non-flammable, biodegradable, and non-hazardous. It was developed for furniture refinishing and restoration professionals, but is safe for everyone! QCS Finish Remover was born out of 35+ years of furniture restoration experience. We asked ourselves the question that begins most journeys toward innovation: “Why?” In our case, we asked why we were using such hazardous products? That’s where it all began. QCS Finish Remover was developed to keep YOU safe as you remove paint and finish from your projects. This can be a tedious and often hazardous task that many try to avoid, but our goal is to make stripping furniture a safe experience for all. When we set out to develop QCS Finish Remover for the furniture refinishing and restoration industry we had two primary goals:
So, thank you for valuing what we value at Stripwell and giving QCS Finish Remover the opportunity to prove itself to you. We believe that if you care about starting your projects safely and effectively, then QCS Finish Remover is going to become your go to finish remover. P.S. Don’t forget to grab a bottle of QCS Surface Cleanser! It’s a liquid sandpaper, pre-prep or post clean, and a deglosser. If you are looking to skip stripping your project and go straight to finishing it, then check out the QCS Surface Cleanser. Sincerely, Your Stripwell Team QCS Finish Remover InstructionsFor the best possible results please read the following instructions before using. ***ALL PROJECTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL*** We recommend testing QCS on a small area first with the following instructions to minimize product waste. ONE: For application, we recommend spraying QCS Finish Remover on, but you may also apply with a brush or pad. Apply a light and even tack coat of QCS Finish Remover (not too heavy) over the surface you wish to strip and wait approximately 30 minutes. TWO: After the initial waiting period, apply a second even coat of QCS Finish Remover over the surface. This coat should be heavier. Wait 30 minutes. THREE: Check the results. If the coating is loose and/or liquified and feels ready to release from the surface, you can move forward to step FOUR. If it is still clinging, coat the surface again with QCS Finish Remover and possibly apply plastic wrap to keep the area wet longer. Keep checking the surface every 15 minutes for up to an hour. NOTE: You can walk away from your project and QCS Finish Remover will not stain the wood like other products, but if you let QCS Finish Remover sit for too long, you may need to use more product than necessary to reactivate it. BE PATIENT AND LET QCS FINISH REMOVER WORK FOR YOU. Use the necessary amount of product and allow it to work. FOUR: Once the coating is showing signs of releasing, begin to remove the coating with a putty knife, scraper or blade on flat areas. Use a nylon brush or wire brush with softer brass bristles for cleaning the details. Finally, use a wet 0-grade steel wool to scrub the entire item being stripped. NOTE: Sometimes steel wool can react with certain woods and cause some staining. To avoid this, use copper wool, scouring pad, or dish sponge with scrubby side. ***VERY IMPORTANT*** Be sure to pour some QCS Finish Remover into a small container and dip your scrubbing pad of choice as you scrub OR spray QCS Finish Remover onto your scrubbing pad. You DO NOT want to scrub the surface with a dry scrubbing pad. Always scrub wet. FIVE: Once you have scrubbed the surfaces thoroughly, wipe off all the residue with paper towels. These will not become a fire hazard because QCS Finish Remover is non-flammable. If there are any gummy areas remaining, these are the areas where the finish has not been fully removed. Apply fresh QCS Finish Remover to the surface and allow it to work. If there is any residual finish in the grain, apply fresh QCS Finish Remover to the surface and allow 30 minutes to work. Then use a soft bristled brush dipped in QCS Finish Remover to remove. Wipe off any remaining residue. SIX: Apply part B of the QCS System - QCS Surface Cleanser. Using a paper towel or rag, wipe down all surfaces. QCS Surface Cleasner is your after wash and replaces the need to use mineral spirits, acetone or denatured alcohol. SEVEN: If necessary, spot treat any areas that you may have missed by applying some more QCS Finish Remover and repeat the previous steps. EIGHT: Allow the project to dry a minimum of 24 to 48 hours to minimize the risk of moisture bleeding through the new finish. Applying gentle heat with a heat gun can speed this up and in some cases. Frequently Asked Questions
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