DIY Tutorial - Stripping Paint from Wood Furniture

You'll need: First things first, you'll need to pick up some supplies for your adventure into furniture stripping. Below is a list of our favorite furniture stripping materials with links to the sites where you can purchase them.

Blue Bear Paint and Urethane Stripper

Blue Bear Paint & Urethane Stripper

Citrus Solvent or Mineral Spirits

0000 Steel Wool

Scrappers

And for those fine detail spots these awesome wire brush cleaners

Step 1:

Apply the stripper and let is sit for 24-48 hours. Be sure to apply a thick coat and cover with plastic. The trick to this stuff is to be patient, do nothing, and let it work its magic!

Step 2:

After letting the stripper work its magic it's time to scrape that gooeyness off. If it's not coming off easy in clumps like in the photos below - add more stripper and let it sit longer. Below shows how easily and gooey it should be when scraping it off.

Step 3:

Once you have removed as much as you can with your scraper take 0000 Steel Wool and soak it with either mineral spirits or citrus solvent. Use this as a scrubby to continue to remove any remaining stripper and residue. Cleaning your piece off in between with paper towels. There may be some inset areas where the paint/old stain may not lift. Use the wire bristle brush on those tough to reach and stubborn spots.

Step 4:

Let the table dry well. You may need to give it a good scrub with just water to get any remaining mineral spirits or citrus solvent off. Once dry we recommend to lightly sand to make sure the stain will take even. Apply pre-stain conditioner and then you are ready to apply your stain!!

Table Stripped and Sanded Down to Raw Wood