My Perfected Stripping Process

This is part three of my series on refinishing our new bed. To start from the beginning, follow the list below.

Part 1 – Getting Started

Part 2 – Stripping Furniture In-Depth

Part 3 – My Perfected Stripping Process

Part 4 – Bleaching Wood 3 Ways | Tackling Color

Part 5 – Achieving a Natural, Raw Wood Finish

AND, I’ve got you covered in video format too. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel where I show you this project from start to finish.

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Tried and True

If you got through all of my head-smacking mistakes on this bed on my last post, or if you’ve just jumped straight here, I’m detailing my basic process for stripping wood below. And don’t miss the tips at the bottom as they will save you some frustration, guaranteed!

I didn’t arrive at this method by accident but through research, trial, and error. Hopefully my pain can make your project easier. You can also check out my video on Wood Stripping on my YouTube channel if you want to see the process in action.

Supplies

• Kwikstrip by KleenStrip
• Metal container for clean stripper (I used a small metal pail)
• Chip brushes
• Plastic scrapers
• 2nd metal container for scraping off sludge, such as a shallow aluminum baking tray
• Respirator
• Chemical Resistant Gloves
• Nylon bristle brushes
• Heavy duty scrubbing pads / synthetic steel wool (do NOT use actual steel wool)
• Anything else to help get into grooves and tight areas, such as wooden skewers or old credit cards
• Mineral Spirits
• Clean rags
• Paint can opener or a flat head screw driver to open stripper

Here are some quick shopping links to get you started.

Process

1. Start with a small section (3′ x 3′ or smaller). Layer on a thick coat of stripper with a chip brush. Brush over it as little as possible, as the stripper will start working immediately and you don’t want to disturb it.
   
2. Allow the stripper to sit 15 minutes or so. You don’t want it to start drying out as it will tack up and be harder to remove.
3. Right before the stripper is done sitting, apply a thick coat to the next section so it can sit while you are cleaning up the previous section.
4. Use the plastic scraper to scrape off most of the sludge into the metal waste container.
   
5. Use a scrubbing pad, dipped in new stripper if needed, to work off any tacky areas that weren’t scraped off by the scraper. You can see one of those areas in the pic below. Then go over the entire area with the pad.
   
6. A nylon bristle brush, a wood skewer, etc can help get in grooves and corners to pull sludge out. Do not use anything too sharp, like a metal brush, as the wood will be wet and susceptible to knicking.
   
7. Lastly, use a clean scrubbing pad or rag with mineral spirits to neutralize the stripper. I ended by wiping it down with a dry rag to speed up the drying process.
   

Tips Not to Miss

1. Work in a well-ventilated area but without a breeze or fan, etc. You do not want the stripper to dry out before it does the best job it can of pulling the stain out. Dry stripper makes your job much more difficult!
2. Have an extra pair (or two) of gloves handy. I seemed to be really hard on my right pointer finger and wore holes in the same spot in multiple pairs of gloves. At one point I had saran wrap wrapped around my finger. Seriously. This is not recommended! If this happens in the middle of a project you will have trouble finishing it without new gloves.
3. Speaking of gloves, try to find some that fit well. In stores I would typically find only L/XL, and they were really hard to use when combining the very slippery stripper and sludge with the detailed work. When I was able to order better fitting gloves online, the whole process became much easier.
4. Have all of your supplies opened and laid out on an accessible work area. It’s really tough to pull things out of packaging with slimy gloved hands.
5. As soon as you are done stripping, be sure to allow the piece to dry in a warm, dry area. If the wood stays wet, it can lead to problems.
6. On the steel wool: I have done several projects with steel wool and it always seemed to gum up easily. Each piece didn’t last long and would also pull apart easily. When I had stains in the footboard of my bed, it could have been rust stains from bits of the steel wool. Additionally, you should not use steel wool if you are planning on using any water-based top coats for the same reason. I found the scrubbing pads were actually a step-up from the steel wool. They lasted longer, were easier to manipulate, did not pull apart, and I could use the thin sides of them to get into grooves on my bed posts. AND, they are cheaper. They really are a win-win-win!

Up Next on Our Bed

Next up I needed to sand the piece, tackle the stains, and work on achieving my desired color. Catch it all in Part 4.

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