Get your minds out of the gutter!
I’m referring to the kind of strippers that remove stain.
I have an old house (circa 1895) and I need to strip very old stain from a large amount of woodwork. The old stain has that “bubbly” appearance. There’s a lot of it — on the stairways, on the floor molding (high), on door moldings, and on a lot of rail turnings. It’s also on two french doors.
Does anyone know of a stain stripper that REALLY works? I’ve gone to a couple of home-improvement centers and heard a few opinions, but I don’t know who to believe. This is going to be a big job, so I don’t want to waste my time on a product that doesn’t work.
Also, any advice about procedures would be very appreciated.
Sorry about the french doors — my house is innocent. It was built long before France made such a fool of itself!
Edited 3/24/2003 9:44:36 AM ET by Matthew Schenker
Replies
The most effective finish strippers are those that contain the most methylene chloride. MC is heavy so look for the ingrediant on the label and then get the brand that is the heaviest. MC is also the most dangerous stripper but it has been in use for 50 years. If used following the directions it is not a problem.
It is also the one stripper that does a good job removing pigment type stains from wood. If the stain was a dye stain, the wood will need to be stripped and then bleached to get out the stain. Use standard household chlorine bleach.
As to how to use the product, follow the directions.
Last year I used a 3M stripper. No smell, non toxic, They, 3M may have one that is better for vertical surfaces assuming that your going to leave the trim attached. What about a carbide scraper? I also did a whole room with several differant profiles. Ron
I'm partial to Stripeze, but I'd hunt groundsquirrels with a 30-06 if you let me. The stain won't probably go with a stripper (but I would!:-)), bleach it. In a nutshell, peroxides, the A+B stuff you mix, gets rid of natural coloring (want that maple really white?), clorox is more for dyes (which your stuff may have), Oxalic acid you buy in powder and mix with water, mostly for iron stains, or water stains/rings. You get those on furniture that has tannic acid. The water hits it and the iron in the water reacts.
" If you kill a man, it is a tragedy. If you kill a million, it is a statistic." - Josepf Stalin, attributed.
That bubbly look may be shellac and therefore you could try rubbing it with methyl hydrate in a inconspicuous place .It is less toxic to work with than M-C strippers.Also try finish amalgamator
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