The Chair is my next big project, and I'm afraid that it is a true BIG PROJECT. My goal is to strip all the paint off, down to bare wood. Here you can see the folly of that idea: there are at least eleven layers of paint on the chair. In order, as far as I can make out, starting from the outside and working in, we have:
bright bluered
orange
lime green
cream
mint green
black
bright yellow
emerald green
mint green again
pale yellow
The black may have had thick white splotches all over it; perhaps an animal print look? Anyway, there are thick white splotches embedded in there too.
I began the stripping process with my little Ryobi detail sander. That was getting me nowhere fast. Next I went to gel stripper in a can. That took off one, and sometimes three, layers at a time. It worked best on the seat of the chair; it didn't seem to affect the spindles. When I emptied the can, I reverted back to the electric sander. Then I tried coarse steel wool, first with mineral spirits, and second with chemical stripper. My second can of stripper is more powerful, so it seems to take off more layers more quickly.
I'll keep you posted on my progress.
I began the stripping process with my little Ryobi detail sander. That was getting me nowhere fast. Next I went to gel stripper in a can. That took off one, and sometimes three, layers at a time. It worked best on the seat of the chair; it didn't seem to affect the spindles. When I emptied the can, I reverted back to the electric sander. Then I tried coarse steel wool, first with mineral spirits, and second with chemical stripper. My second can of stripper is more powerful, so it seems to take off more layers more quickly.
I'll keep you posted on my progress.
7 comments:
Think of the sense of satisfaction when it's finally done and you can revel in a beautiful chair!
Years ago in California when I was refinishing antiques, I always took the furniture to be stripped and then I refinished it. I was interested in putting my energies into the final project. Just a thought.
New Kid,
I seriously considered it, but professional stripping has become shockingly expensive. The chair isn't worth that much.
I got some stripper from Home Depot (natural I believe) that worked great with minimal elbow grease. It smells a lot like oranges. If you're interested I can find the name at home and let you know what it is.
Tonya,
I would love to know the name of that stripper. And an orange smell would be so much more appealing than the toxic chemical smell I presently have.
Was this finished, or did you drop it in favor of doing the ceiling popcorn illimination, another hugely taxing project? Just wondering, super woman!
Well, New Kid, I got bogged down on all those layers of paint. I really need to find a better way, whether a bigger sander, a professional, or more powerful chemical. So when I got tired, I plopped it on the front porch. We decided it doesn't look half bad in its half-stripped state.
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