How to Strip Paint From Woodwork
- 1). Mask off any part of the woodwork you don't want to have stripped of paint using masking tape and masking paper. Cover area beneath the woodwork with a piece of painter's plastic. Tape the plastic to surface to keep it in place.
- 2). Put on a pair of chemical resistant rubber gloves, a paint respirator and safety goggles.
- 3). Open a can of chemical gel paint stripper. Dip the bristles of a paintbrush into the stripper and then paint on the stripper over the surface area of the woodwork. Apply about 8 to 14 inches of stripper and then let it sit for 24 to 36 hours. During this time the stripper will release the bond between the paint and the wood. The paint will peel and bubble.
- 4). Scrape off loosened paint and residue stripper from the larger surface areas of the woodwork using a putty knife. Scrape the scraped paint off the blade of the putty knife using the rim of an empty paint can. Grab an ice pick and gently scratch the paint out of the ornate grooves of the woodwork. Use the steel wool to remove smaller particles of paint. Wait 24 hours.
- 5). Sand the woodwork using a piece of 150-grit sandpaper in back-and-forth and up-and-down strokes until the the woodwork has been stripped of any remaining paint and stripper residue.
