Furniture stripping recommendations? archived

Anyone?
-KQP

The fact there are many layers of paint will cost you extra, as they charge the stripping locations a ton of $ for waste removal. That being said, the best is a place that doesn't use a water-based stripping solvent. The best I know of (having refinshed furniture for over 15 years) is the "Chem-Clean" process, which utilizes a solvent-based stripper. There was one in West Orange until recently. I know of some in PA and MD, but I would do a search on Chem-Clean to see if their are still any around here.

Most furniture stripping locations use the water-based solvents, which not only raise the grain of the wood and possibly warp it a little, it eats the glue out of the joints as well (most furniture glues are water-based). It's not uncommon for someone to bring a chair or dresser in to be stripped, and having it handed back to them in a bag.

Dip'n Strip
Corner of Frederick & Holt Streets
Hackensack, NJ 07601
201-487-1115

closed Mondays

He does great work and is affordable

If they are using a "dip strip" method, that usually means a large vat full of water-based stripping solvent.

Defcon,
Thank you for your advice and suggestions. A Google search turned up Chem-Clean of Union County located at 550 Terrill Road in Scotch Plains. Are you at all familiar with them?

Time, I appreciate your recommendation and will give them a call to find out more, bearing in mind Defcon's advice.
-KQP

AS an aside they do not use vats as you will see it is all elbow grease....He did all the molding in my house and several doors all by hand.

Posted By: cppkqpDefcon,
Thank you for your advice and suggestions. A Google search turned up Chem-Clean of Union County located at 550 Terrill Road in Scotch Plains. Are you at all familiar with them?

Time, I appreciate your recommendation and will give them a call to find out more, bearing in mind Defcon's advice.
-KQP

Not a problem, let me know how it goes. The Chem-Clean method is actually pretty cool. When you take your stuff to them, ask them if you can check out the "solvent/stripping" table. The process utilizes 100% solvent-based "Chem Clean" stripper. They place the furniture piece on a huge table, that has a constant feed hose. The solvent is applied and the furniture is kept wet with solvent, meanwhile the worker(s) take small brushes and clean off the paint. It comes out clean as a whistle, and unlike water-based strippers, the smell is gone in less than a day or two. They may charge you a little extra due to many coats of paint, but that seems to be case anywhere these days with the hazmat removal costs.

Posted By: time to winAS an aside they do not use vats as you will see it is all elbow grease....He did all the molding in my house and several doors all by hand.

Time to Win, I'm just going by the name of the place, "Dip"-n-Strip. There are many strip places out there that use water-based solvents, and most of them have a "dip" tank. Moldings are one thing, there isn't any glue on them. CPP is cleaing a hutch, which will, most likely, have glued joints, and water-based stripper "eats" the glue in the joints.

good point defcon...but the old guy just does it the old fashioned way.
and thanks for the heads up

Will any of these places do just the finishing? I just got a desk from my sister that she totally stripped a few years ago. It's been sitting in her basement and she decided she was never going to finish it so she gave it to me. I've polyurethaned things before, but I just don't have the time to do all the necessary sanding in between coats, etc. What would something like that run?

Posted By: ingridceliaWill any of these places do just the finishing? I just got a desk from my sister that she totally stripped a few years ago. It's been sitting in her basement and she decided she was never going to finish it so she gave it to me. I've polyurethaned things before, but I just don't have the time to do all the necessary sanding in between coats, etc. What would something like that run?

Polyurethane, ick. Why not just get a stain you like, apply it, let it dry, and then give it a coat or two of varnish and polish it with a nice coat of Butcher's Wax? It'll save you a few hundred at least. You have to understand, many of the refinishing shops out there HAVE to charge a lot due to the costs of running their operations with chemicals. The costs at running these shops has risen exponentially in the last 10-15 years. You're much better off doing it yourself. There really isn't any mystical way of doing it, unless you set up a spray booth for lacquers.

Fine, varnish. My issue is not with what to apply, but with the time it takes to brush it on, let it dry, sand it down, repeat, etc. I also don't have a well-ventilated area in which to do it. I probably will end up doing it myself, somehow, mostly because my husband hates paying for anything that he knows we could do ourselves. Although with his 60-70-hour work weeks, there's no chance he's going to do it before my daughter moves out of the house (she's going to use the desk). Working full-time with two kids doesn't leave me much down time for this sort of project. I was hoping it wouldn't cost that much given that no stripping is involved. If that's not the case, I guess I'll just have to add it to my list of home projects, which seems to just keep growing...

I called Chem-Clean in Scotch Plains and spoke to Buzz. He said their process is waterless and quickly described it much the way Defcon did. He said the piece would be "sprinkled" and then put on the scrub tray, where it would be stripped using plastic-bristle brushes. He offered to show me the process when I bring the piece in. He also said that although it will be smooth when it's done, it will need some sanding prior to painting and that I will need to use a "no-bleed" paint to ensure the paint doesn't get into the grain.

My hutch is 72"H X 25"W X 19.5" D. Without having seen it, Buzz estimated the job would take less than a week and cost about $200 - $275. Defcon, does that sound reasonable?

I am a total sap when it comes to anything of sentimental value. (Fortunately, my DH is too.) To be able to take an old piece of furniture that was sitting in my grandparents' basement and turn it into a cute piece for my twin girls' bedroom for under $300 (plus my time and effort to paint it) sounds like a good deal to me.

The price sounds about right. It would probably be half that if it was varnish or lacquer. Like I said, paint disposal is expensive, especially when you're dealing with mulitple coats. Definitely take a look at the way they do it, it's pretty cool. We used the Chem-Clean in West Orange for many years before they closed down.

Ingrid, when applying stain, there is no need to sand. Just make sure you sand it well before you apply anything to the wood (start with 120 grit (garnet) paper, and when it somewhat smooth, switch over to 180 or 200 grit to finish it). When using varnish, lay on thin, but not too thin coats, it shouldn't take more than 2-3 coats to do the trick. Since it's alcohol-based, it will dry rather quickly as well. The ventilation problem may be a bit of a problem, and we're quickly running out of nice weather days to do it. Don't do it in less than 50-55 degree heat. If you have a couple of window fans, put them in, just mke sure you have proper ventilation. There were a few times I found myself about 1 inch above the floor when I completed a job, and man, what a headache later on. Ugh. After the varnish is dry put a couple coats of Butcher's Wax on it, it'll shine up nice. Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here's a question. I have an almost perfect kitchen table from IKEA--perfect because it fits in my nook, it's a half circle that fits two kiddos, and has a gateleg for when we all want to gather round the full table. However, the stain is too close to my cabinets--close enough to look like a mistake, if you catch my drift. I'd love to strip it and restain in a darker color, and then revarnish it for easy cleanup. Would these guys take on a $100 table? It's discontinued so I don;t want to miss with it.

I hate to ask, but what type of wood is it? Ikea is not known for their high end wood. If it's laminate or veneer, don't bother, the glues the newer mass-produced furniture manufacturers use may/will break down during the stripping process, and the surface will bubble and lift. Most things purchased at Ikea are not made to be refinished. My wife has asked me the same thing with some stuff she bought there, and I've told her the same thing.

Defcon, this is what my Swedish friends have to say:
Solid pine, Stain, Tinted acrylic lacquer

It's the same line as this table:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40089000

I know I could probably sand the veneer off and restain and revarnish, but I'm pregnant and lazy.

Hi Amie, veneer is a thin wood coating, not what your table looks to have. "Acrylic" lacquer is another term used primarily for polyurethane, which is what most modern day furniture manufacturers use. If it is indeed solid pine, you could have it stripped, and the cost would be less, as there is no paint on it. It's a pretty simple design (not a lot of nooks and crannys), so refinishing it yourself would be somewhat easy. I would highly suggest you have the child first before doing anything with refinishing chemicals. Like I stated before, the easiest, and most inexpensive way would be to get a stain you like (for a non-commercial stain I like Minwax), a can of regular varnish and a can of Butcher's Wax.

I am in a similar situation as Ingrid. We were given a desk that needs to be stripped and refinished, and it is not something that we are going to do ourselves. Realistically, it just isn't going to happen. Any recommendations on who can do it? I have been waiting for one person to do it for seven weeks, and he has proved to be a total flake, and I need to get it done soon or my husband is just going to put it out with bulk pickup.

Thanks!

Rose1, go to the beginning of this thread and try Chem Clean in Scotch Plains, you'll be quite satisfied with the result.

I would have thought that you could strip the paint of the hutch yourself in a few hours with a heat gun (and a putty knife) and a palm or orbital sander, both of which could probably be rented at Home Depot for about $50 total for 24 hours. Am I making this too easy in my own mind?

Heat guns are fine, if you know what you are doing with them. Many times, you do nothing more than burn the paint into the grains of the wood, not to mention the lovely paint vapors (yes, people used lead paint sometimes). It's much better to have it done by someone else.

Keep the gun 6-8 inches from the wood and when the paint starts to bubble a few seconds later pull the gun back, use the putty knife to scrape off a length of paint and repeat. Plus they're fun with marshmallows if you need a snack while you work! C'mon, you know you're a gun guy.

Posted By: gondogoldy

Keep the gun 6-8 inches from the wood and when the paint starts to bubble a few seconds later pull the gun back, use the putty knife to scrape off a length of paint and repeat. Plus they're fun with marshmallows if you need a snack while you work! C'mon, you know you're a gun guy.

LOL! Honestly though, by the time paint bubbles, the underside has already burned, and depending on the type of paint (there were all sorts of icky chemicals used in older paint), the fumes can be quite hazardous. I'm talking from experience on this one, and we had many a customer that attempted the heat gun method, and ended up bringing us their wreckage. As for the marshmallows, I prefer a firepit.

Posted By: DEFCON CreatorRose1, go to the beginning of this thread and try Chem Clean in Scotch Plains, you'll be quite satisfied with the result.

Thanks for the recommendation. The estimate seems reasonable, so I think we're going to go with Chem Clean.

You win this round, desk...

"You win this round, desk..."

:clap:

Poor Richards Archieval Restoration Preservation & Art Studio Workshop
101103 Walnut St
Montclair, NJ 07042

(973) 783-5333

www.rickford.com

My aunt had all of her upstairs doors dipped and stripped. I can't wait to do mine!

Poor Richard has a dip tank. We used him once or twice when we first started, that was it. We didn't like getting our chairs back in a bag, after the water-based solvent ate all the glue out of the joints. Next time you're there, ask him what the big net is next to the dip tank. It's to retrieve piece of furniture that have come loose because the glue was eaten away.