I recently bought a used solid maple dresser. The previous owner thought it would be cute to put contact paper in all the drawers. Not just on the bottom of the drawers, but up the sides of them as well.
I managed to get the stuff off using a hair dryer and a putty knife. This stuff was really on there, I actually got blisters on my knuckles from pulling on it. Now I’m stuck with this sticky messy residue. I tried to research the net, but come up with too much conflicting info. What can I use to get it out of there? If I use a solvent of some sort will I end out with a smell I’ll never get rid of?
Replies
I deal with removing adhesive labels in our shop all of the time so I'll tell you how I do it.
You will need a solvent. The one I have been using for years is naphtha, also commonly known as lighter fluid. It is a moderately "hot" solvent, meaning that softens the adhesive quickly and then evaporates quickly. On hard surfaces it evaporates without leaving an odor. Some of it will penetrate into the wood, but I would expect it to dissipate in a couple of days.
As with all organic hydrocarbon solvents it is both flammable and moderately toxic, so for a job of this size you should work out of doors and wear nitrile work gloves. Other solvents, such as paint thinner, acetone, and the like are chemically similar to naphtha so they don't offer any advantage in safety and probably won't work as well.
To easily control and not waste the naphtha, I keep it in a small oil can or the squeeze bottle that the Ronson lighter fluid comes in. Peel back a corner of the contact paper and squirt a few drops along the seam where the paper is still adhered to the wood. The solvent will soften the adhesive after a few seconds and you should, with luck, be able to keep peeling back the paper as you drip naphtha along the seam.
Once the paper is off, repeatedly wiping the sides of the drawer with towels dampened with the naphtha will remove any adhesive residue.
If the contact paper is old it is possible that the adhesive has permanently hardened and the solvent will have little effect, in which case the method you have been using may be the only way to remove it.
Once the drawer is as clean as you can get it, giving the inside a coat of shellac will seal in any remaining odors. Don't use oil finishes, paints, or varnishes on the inside of the drawers, many finishes have a lingering odor that will last for years in an enclosed space.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
The paper is already off, got that much accomplished when the weather was still warm outside. (NY) I can't use anything flamable in my shop because the furnace is too close. The weather has been in the 50's so I thought I could give it a go now. I'll give the Naptha a try. (I did know I shouldn't use anything inside the drawers except shellac.) As to rag disposal. Is there something I can dip them in or will the stuff evaporate if I just hang them up outside?
The naphtha will evaporate in minutes and doesn't present a spontaneous combustion risk in any case, though it will burn if you give it a source of ignition. So just letting the rags air dry for a while is all that is needed.
John W.
The Naptha worked GREAT!!!! It took me all day to get the 6 drawers cleaned, but boy what a difference. Thanks. That one definitely goes into the book I keep on "Tricks".
I put the rag outside, hanging up on the back porch. I worked in the garage with the door open but that stuff still stinks.
Thanks again
George
Glad I could help. I should have warned you about the smell, but it doesn't especially bother me and I feel that it is less obnoxious than paint thinner or acetone.
John W.
I have another problem that maybe you could help me with. This dresser that I'm rebuilding is maple. I striped the old finish off and sanded it down. Here is my problem the base (ie legs as well as some trim lumber) needed to be replaced. The new wood doesn't even remotely match the older more aged wood. Is there any way I can make the whiter (new) wood have the same color as the older wood??? This is getting a clear finish of Poly on it. The way it is right now, the whiter wood sticks out like a sore thumb. I don't have any problem with taping it off to blend it, if that is possible. If it is what do I use, and how??
I enclosed a picture, (see attached file) not very good, lighting in garage wasn't that great.
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