Older furniture that has been restored is adding character and charm to the decors of new homes in St. Paul, MN. The ideal time to decide if the table that's been collecting dust in your attic or the chair you picked up at a garage sale is a treasure you want to keep and use in your new home is before you move.
Often old wood pieces have been painted several times. Stripping off layers of old paint is tedious and messy, and it may not always produce the treasure you were hoping for. Begin by scratching off a small test section to see what's there and decide if the effort and labor of a full restoration will be worthwhile.
If the item has been around since the 1970s or before, check it for lead-based paint. A test kit such as Lead-Check Instant Lead Check will let you know if you need to take special precautions when removing the paint.
You may want to send the items out to a professional furniture shop for stripping. Often these shops have large dip tanks that can do the job much faster than you can while eliminating the potential hazards of using and disposing of chemical strippers at home. If you choose to do it yourself, you can strip the paint one of three ways: with abrasives, heat, or chemicals.
If the wood requires limited paint removal, scraping and sanding is usually the best approach. Even if you're dealing with non-lead paint, you'll probably want to wear a mask while doing this work to avoid inhaling paint particles.
Heat softens the paint so you can scrape it off. Soften one workable area at a time; scrape; apply more heat if needed; then move to the next area when you're finished.
The two main types of chemical strippers are solvent-based or water-based in liquid or paste form. Like heat, chemical strippers soften paint so you can scrape it away. When using chemicals, wear full protective gear, including rubber gloves and safety glasses.
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