I wonder if anyone can help me? I have a wood door frame that had been previously stained and varnished, and I would like to strip this back to its original wood. Would a normal paint stripper do the job?
Wood – Would a paint stripper brush remove stain and varnish from a door frame
doorspaintwood
Related Solutions
One of the best tools to begin the process of removing old, thick paint is a simple hand scraper
I would remove the metal strip, if possible, and use the scraper to remove most of the finish. The edges on the scraper can be rotated as they get dull.
Then you can follow up with either stripper (there are new citrus based that are pretty effective if you let them sit), or an orbital sander.
If it is very resistant, you could use a multitool with a scraper blade or even the grinding plate if it is very hard. This is an example, but there are many simpler and cheaper versions.
Caution with the multitool because once you cut through the paint, the wood may gouge or tear.
The paint stripper could be helpful but there is no guarantee, especially after you have sanded it quite a bit already. The stripper may get down into the porous parts of the wood and congeal the paint so as to make it come out. I would say that it is certainly worth a try in a small area to see if it helps. You'll know in short order if it would be worth the effort to go over the whole surface with the stripper. I give it a maybe 20 to 30% chance of making some difference.
If you do take on using the stripper....
- move the table to a very well ventilated area with no open flames or pilot lights
- wear good quality rubber gloves that extend well up over your wrists
- make sure to wear clothing that covers bare skin where ever the stripper could splash
- wear eye protection
- use care with disposal of the paper towels, rags and steel wool that you use with the stripper
Just to comment on your sanding effort. You did not specify how big the table is but 40 minutes of sanding with a small orbital sander using 60 grit paper over a large area is not really that much sanding. You have come this far so you may want to give it another go at further sanding. Do change your paper often as this can make a huge difference on how well the paper removes the wood. Also note that after sanding with 60 grit paper so much you will need to sand it with successively finer grits all the way to 220 or finer to get the surface in excellent shape for your poly finish.
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Best Answer
That wire wheel might help if there are nooks and crannys, like fine detail. But I am afraid what you will need is a lot of elbow grease and sandpaper. Starting with coarse and working down to fine, using steel wool and/or wire bushes for the detail work. Good quality chemical strippers are helpful if you are able to cope with the mess/smell/health hazards.
Wood stains are called that because they stain the wood, by soaking in and penetrating the wood fibers. You may never be able to remove all traces of the stain and bring it back to "original wood". You should be prepared to consider a new stain, maybe a light color near to what your vision of "original" was. This will help cover inevitable areas of imperfection and help blend the door color prior to varnishing.