After reading old threads for an hour I’m more confused. So I will ask my question directly.
We have an old rocking chair that has been in the family at least 80 years. Could be older since we do not know if grandparents got it used which was vary common back then. Lots of babies have been rocked in that chair. My 70 yr old Mom remembers it NOT painted at some point and she would like it stripped of paint and then let it’s natural color show. Her recollection is that it was a dark wood.
What would be a best method &/or product to strip off the paint down to bare wood? Unknown paint but I figure it could be oil based and latex all on there. It is an off-white paint, yellowed in areas.
A concern is that MOST of the paint would come off but there would still be some paint well deep into the wood. This would look bad under polyurethane sealer.
Replies
Methylene chloride strippers are the most powerful. You will need multiple coats--its likely only one or two will come off at a time. The thing that could mess you up is milk paint, which would require a special stripper. In addition to the usual coarse steel wool (synthetic) you want to get some rough twine to help you work paint out of the places where rungs meet legs or seats.
Only if you have an open pored wood--hickory or ash for spindles for example, might you have a penetration of paint that might be a challenge to remove. Let those area soak pretty well and rub off with a fine brass brush, working with the grain.
With methylene chloride stripers in particular be sure to work only with lots of ventilation--just opening a couple of windows isn't enough.
Thank you all for the replies.
I googled "Methylene chloride" to see what products contain it. Sounds like a dangerous product and considered a carsinogen.
So, what would be the next best thing to use?
I once asked my doc about MC, he looked it up, and told me it was just about the most dangerous chemical freely available to the average person. However, if you "safety up" with googles, gloves, and a respirator, you'll be fine. You should also work in a well ventilated space. There are a host of safer strippers on the market (and more seem to come along every day), but the only one I have had any success with is a brand called Peel Away (from Dumont Chemicals in NY), which is available from many paint stores.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I've used a product called AquaStrip that worked OK on paint, but it takes about 3 time longer and costs twice as much. I'd only use it again if I couldn't arrange real ventilation such as fan assisted cross ventilation or outdoors on a breezy day.
It's getting cold here during daytime, low 50* and many products do not work well that cold. And I'd rather not be inside with the fumes.
So, it's got to be something that I can use inside the garage.
Steve has covered it well as usual. A good stripper (pick up the container--buy the heaviest one) will remove the finish and if it is that relatively new (grandmother remembers it not painted) I think it will come off pretty quickly.
I would doubt it will be milk paint. IF it is, then that might mean it wasn't unpainted, is much older than what you think, and you might like the milk paint to remain.
The important thing with strippers is to put them on (don't "paint" it on--dab so it is a thick layer) and let them do their work. Be patient and let sit. Put more on if it begins to look "dry" in spots. Then scrape the sludge off with a dull paint scraper.
If you are REAL lucky the chair will have been finished with a clear finish and then painted. Then the paint will not be in the wood pores at all.
I agree with everything that was said in the other two posts.
MC still seems to be the most effective chemical for stripping. You can tell that a stripper has a lot of MC as an ingredient if the can says it is non-flammable.
Most neophytes get frustrated with the process simply because they don't apply the stripper in a thick layer, and then don't let it work long enough. For especially tenacious paints, I will cover the stripper with Saran Wrap and let it sit for 4-5 hours, longer if necessary.
Planer shavings (especially oak, or some other hardwood) work pretty well for the initial scrub down, followed by brass brushes etc.
I also use steel wool (#2 or 3), dipped in a liquid stripper to rub off residue.
However, if you intend to use a water based finish when you're done, you should use a Scotch Brite style pad (green is about the right coarseness).
********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
patchogphil,
You just might be lucky and have a coat of shellac under all of that paint.. if so then use denatured alcohol as a stripper..
get the "paint" off any way you can and then use the denatured alcohol..
Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? .. get a real expert to tell you because you may take the value of an expensive antique from a high price down to near worthlessness..
Old paint is highly charished by antique collectors..
Assuming the chair is built of mainly round pieces, you can probably scrape a good portion of the paint off without using any kind of stripper. I use something like the flat side edge of an old chisel, or even the back edge of an old table knife. Most any piece of flat steel with a square edge will work. Find a suitable device, hold it in both hands and drag it across the surface, kind of like using a drawknife. Don't do it so hard as to gouge the wood, but hard enough to flake off the paint.
I'd still recommend using MC type paint stripper in the corners or other places where you can't easily scrape. It's not the healthiest stuff but I've never been able to make any of the environmentally safe stuff work worth a darn.
As Frenchy said, make sure stripping the paint is what you want to do - I'm watching Antiques Roadshow right now, and as you know on every show someone brings in an old piece of furniture that's been stripped and refinished, and they find out it's lost all its value.
As others have said, if it was shellaced or varnished originally, the paint on top probably didn't get into the pores of the wood and it should come off fairly easily.
Edited 10/23/2006 8:12 pm ET by Stuart
Stuart, Frenchy
This is my Mom's chair which used to be her Father's rocker. Not really looking to sell it, just has a lot of family memories. Many generations of babies were all rocked in that chair.
My Mom expressed a desire to have it back as she remembered it as a child (she is now 70 yrs old).
I'll try the "peel away" stuff. If that leaves too much paint that cannot be sanded away, I'll talk to Mom about just re-painting. What kind of paint would be best?
Thank you to all who have responded.
If you do use Peel Away, read up on it. they have several different kinds, and some of it is lye based and caustic, and would not be appropriate for your rocker. I have used Peel Away 7 on white oak case work that was originally varnished. It took off virtually all of the paint. They recommended using alcohol to clean it up. But it gave the wood a grayish color, so I turned instead to a liquid stripper applied with a spray bottle (Kleenstrip worked the best).EDIT: here's the Peel Away web site (I got the maker's name wrong before):http://www.dumondchemicals.com/********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Edited 10/24/2006 1:07 am by nikkiwood
PLEASE don't waste your time or money with PeelAway. The MC can be a nasty but you aren't going to drink it. I use it outside with rubber gloves. It will do the job and do it relatively quickly. If you were doing it as a constant thing, then a respirator would be in order.
Please don't send it to a professional stripper. They will remove every vestige of patina from the wood plus perhaps destroy the glued joints.If the rocker has a clear finish of ANY kind under the paint it will be removed at the same time with the use of a stripper--no need for something else. The good part of that will be that the paint will not have gotten into the wood pores as it would if an unfinished wood.
This was your grandfather's rocker--from the 20's or 30's probably. Maybe older, actually. Even though your mother thinks she remembers it with a "wood" finish, it could have been a sort of opaque brown finish. Be prepared that when you strip it there may be a mixture of woods. This is why many quite old and very nice antique rockers were painted black with the nice gold design on them. Mixed wood, but good craftmanship.
I think this paint will come off quite easily. The person who suggested using steel wool for the final paint removal is right on. Get 00 steel wool pads and open them out flat to get the most surface to scrub the paint off.For cleanup of the stripper use mineral spirits/paint thinner--not water, no matter what the directions say. You must get ALL the stripper off or the finish you apply will not adhere.Gretchen
Which of the Peel Away products did you use, and what was your problem with it?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Have you thought of going to a professional stripping shop? With all of the parts to the rocker, it might be easier to let them do it in the baths they use. You may have to reglue some of the joints, as they are probably done with hide glue. But that is not hard to do.
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