Paint Stripping
By: Amanda Campbell
Updated: August 30, 2010
Chemical paint and varnish strippers are the fastest and easiest way to refinish old furniture. Sometimes the stripper combined with the old finish can cause a sticky mess. The next time you are faced with this sticky situation, here's what you can do.
Before you scrape the finish off, sprinkle the surface with some sawdust and wood shavings. Let it set for 15 to 20 minutes. Then scrape the wood shavings or sawdust off. The sawdust and wood shavings will absorb most of the sludge and eliminate a lot of the sloppy runs and drip. If you're using a newspaper put a drop cloth down below it, it'll make your cleanup a lot faster and easier.
Anytime you're working with stripper, you want to be sure to wear heavy gloves, safety goggles, long sleeves and long pants. The chemicals that can take paint off of something, can also do a number on your skin.
