Removing varnish from wood. How to remove varnish from a wooden surface: basic technologies

First of all, it should be understood that removing varnish from wood is necessary in order to completely expose the surface of the wood and then, using various means, renew its texture and give old furniture an elegant look, thereby turning it into an antique value.

Before removing it from the tree, you need to understand that this procedure requires patience and is carried out very carefully, in several passes, since any, even the most minor, damage to the wood is unacceptable.

Below we will look at how to remove varnish from furniture under these conditions, while simultaneously drawing attention to the fact that the task is complicated by the high volatility of the substances used for this purpose. We will also mention high-temperature methods, in which you should be extremely careful.

Using wood remover

Traditionally, to remove old varnish from wooden surfaces, a so-called remover is used - a special product for removing varnish from wood. It will probably not be possible to efficiently remove all the old varnish coating in one go, and therefore you should be patient in advance.

For the entire surface to be treated, we will make a “compress” - first, apply the remover generously with a brush, and then, as thoroughly as possible, wrap the treated areas of the furniture in plastic wrap. This is necessary in order to protect the volatile remover from drying out quickly.

After a day, the “compress” can be removed, but before removing the old varnish from the wood, let’s carefully try to perform this procedure with a spatula on some small area - it is quite possible that we will have to apply a new “compress” for another day.

To process relief parts, it is more convenient to replace the spatula with a metal brush or knife.

As a result of possibly repeated repetition of this procedure, a layer of a mixture of softened and chemicals is formed on the surface. Before washing off the varnish from the wood, carefully remove this layer with a spatula and only then rinse thoroughly in warm water to finally free the surface of the wood from the old varnish. After performing this procedure, the wood must be allowed to dry for at least 24 hours.

Other ways to remove varnish from wood

When talking about how to remove old varnish from wood, one cannot fail to mention firing, in which the layer is softened with a blowtorch or a technical hair dryer. In this case, you must carefully ensure that the surface being treated does not become charred. Small individual areas are heated until the varnish melts, which is immediately removed with a spatula.

If the coating begins to smoke or bubble, this is a sure sign of overheating, and work should be stopped to avoid charring. The old coating can also be removed mechanically - with sandpaper or scrapers. With this method, certain care should be taken so as not to damage the wooden surface of the furniture.

Here it is appropriate to mention the so-called “wet” method, when, before removing the old varnish, the surface to be treated is moistened with a damp sponge and only then sanded with sandpaper. With periodic wetting during the sanding process, the varnish turns into a thick paste that is not difficult to remove. After removing the varnish, the surface is moistened with a damp sponge and, after drying, processed for the last time with fine-grained sandpaper.

And finally, another way is to remove the old coating using a grinding machine, followed by processing with coarse sandpaper. However, it should be borne in mind that with this approach it is unlikely to be possible to keep the surface of the wood intact.

Very often, before painting wood with varnish, it is necessary to remove the old varnish coating. And this in most cases becomes a problem, because a person without experience in this matter, as a rule, comes up with the wrong ideas regarding the choice of paint removal method. As a result, the surface being treated simply deteriorates.

In this article we will talk about what technologies are available and in what cases one or another method of removing old varnish from a wooden surface will be relevant.

In addition, we will consider step by step how to re-varnish wood.

Let's start the review.

Methods for stripping old varnish

It is worth noting that the most popular technologies for solving this issue are discussed below. And it is important to understand that there is no universal method of removing nail polish that can be successfully used in absolutely all cases ().

The choice of method depends on many factors:

• From the type of base– the floors need to be treated or the furniture needs to be treated, you will agree that there will clearly be a difference in approach, and a significant one at that.

• From the type of old varnish. After all, the compositions are different, and accordingly, for each individual varnish you need to select a specific removal method.
• From layer thickness. After all, removing one thin layer from the surface of a tree is not at all the same as stripping off a dozen old layers.

So, as you can see, there are enough nuances.

Let's get back to the review.

Treatment with chemical compounds

This method of removing varnish involves a very simple scheme of work - some chemical composition is applied to the surface of the wood, due to which the layer of old paint begins to peel off and seem to lag behind the wood.

Please note that you should not try to remove the old varnished surface on furniture or chipboard panels. Because with a layer of varnish you will also remove the main decorative film, after which you can, in principle, forget about the beauty of the appearance. Varnish can only be effectively removed from the plane of natural wood!

You can remove varnish with gels, powders, special liquids, or simply universal solvents such as acetone, for example.

What to choose? Let's try to give more or less universal advice.

If your wood is coated with shellac, then the most effective and fastest way to clean the old layer is with the most common denatured alcohol.

Liquid formulations are good where you need to remove at most a few layers. This is because the liquid evaporates quite quickly, and therefore cannot be absorbed deeply.

Powders are important in cases where the volume of work is very large, as these materials can be stored for a long time.

Gels and pastes are convenient to use for cleaning large numbers of layers of old paint or varnish.

Now about the sequence of work - brief instructions on removing varnish using chemicals.

1. Take a brush, dip it in the liquid and apply the composition to the work surface. In this case, you need to try to apply the mass so that the brush “goes” in one direction and does not go over the same area twice.
2. The entire treated surface should be covered with film so that the applied remover does not erode and is absorbed as deeply as possible. You need to keep the film for about 1-4 hours. The rule here is simple - the more layers you need to remove, the longer we do not remove the film. But in principle, if it is clear that the paste has changed its color, darkened, and the varnish seems to have swelled, then you can proceed to the next stage.
3. We take a 10 cm wide one and begin to carefully remove the old varnish. At the same time, look at the thickness of the layer - if it is thin, then perhaps it will be enough to walk over the surface with sandpaper.

Advice: since, most likely, you will come across a standard spatula - with sharp edges, we recommend using a grinder to slightly round them. It’s just that if the edges are sharp, then there is a risk of damaging the wood itself when removing the varnish.

1. Now you need to neutralize the chemical effect of the remover on the surface. For this operation, either plain water or water with vinegar is suitable. Just take it and wash off all the chemicals. After this, we wipe the surface with a flannel rag and wait until the wood is completely dry.

This is the technology.

Tip: work with chemicals very carefully. Use protective gloves, respirators, and ventilate the room well. Otherwise, you can cause significant harm to your own health.

Consider the following option for removing varnish.

Mechanical cleaning

In essence, this method is surface scraping, that is, the most common stripping of a layer using a special tool. The tool is a sharpened steel plate, which is fixed at an angle to increase pressure on a wooden plane with varnish.

The mechanical method also includes sanding the surface manually or using a grinder. This, in other words, is an ordinary grinder on which a circle with sandpaper is attached. This method is good, but you need to take into account that it is only suitable for planes in which the layer thickness is small.

What is the main advantage of mechanical varnish removal is that no chemicals are used, that is, there are completely no pungent and toxic odors. In addition, the wood itself does not deteriorate from exposure to liquids and moisture.

As for the disadvantages of the technology, they are obvious - cleaning the surface using a sanding machine or the same emery will take a long and tedious time. So if you remove the varnish with your own hands using a mechanical method, then be patient. Yes, you will also need strength here.

By the way, there is another important point that must be taken into account. When working with grinders, a lot of dust gets into the air from the working surface. So in such a situation, if the work is carried out in the living room, be sure to cover all valuable items with film.

Tip: if you need to process a large area, such as floors or walls, then it may be cheaper and easier to hire a specialist who has expensive professional equipment for sanding wood. In most such cases, if you count how much time is spent on independent work, it almost always turns out that it would have been cheaper to hire a specialist.

And let's look at another way to remove old varnish.

Heat treatment

The meaning of this technology is that the surface of the wood heats up and, as a result, the varnish layer begins to lose its adhesion strength to the plane. That is, it cracks and at this time you need to pry it off with a spatula (or chisel) and gradually clean the entire area.

There are two important points here.

• Firstly, you need to work in protective glasses, gloves and in a well-ventilated area. This is because when heated, the varnish begins to emit harmful fumes, and when scraping with a spatula, you can easily injure your hands or eyes - pieces of varnish can simply bounce off the surface. And, of course, you need to monitor the fire safety of the work.
• Secondly If you see that when heated, the varnish does not begin to peel off, but simply simply chars, then this is a sure sign that the composition of this paint and varnish material is such that if it can be removed, it can only be with the help of chemical compounds.

Now regarding the tools.

You can use two devices:

1. A regular gas or gasoline burner. What is convenient about this thing is that its price is quite low. But you need to use the burner with extreme caution, because you are working with an open flame.

1. Construction hairdryer. In fact, the tool looks like a regular hair dryer, only the heating temperature of its construction counterpart is much higher - about 600 degrees.

What is certainly good about surface heat treatment technology is that the rate of varnish peeling is very high. There is no need to wait for anything - we heated the area, cleaned it and that’s it, move on to the next point.

In principle, we have considered the basic technologies for removing varnish, now let’s “to complete the picture” briefly understand how to properly paint wood with varnish or paint.

Procedure for applying new paintwork

An approximate scheme of work should be like this:

1. The entire wooden surface is sanded with sandpaper. Usually they first work with a coarse fraction, and then gradually move on to fine-grained paper.
2. Then the tree is protected from rotting, the proliferation of bugs, and the appearance of mold. This is done very simply - antiseptic liquid is poured into a special jar and applied with a brush to the entire wooden plane. Moreover, here you need to try to saturate the wood as best as possible so that the antiseptic penetrates as deeply as possible into the wood structure.

1. After the antiseptic layer has completely dried, take stain, paint or varnish and carefully apply it to the surface of the wood in one or several layers. As a rule, this is done either with a brush or a roller.

The main thing is to wait until each previous layer has completely dried and then everything will be fine!

That's all - let's summarize.

Conclusion

We examined in more or less detail how to remove the old varnish layer from wood. In addition, we discussed step by step how to properly re-varnish wood. I would like all the information provided to be useful to you in practice ().

Well, if you want to learn more useful information and tips, then be sure to watch the video in this article.

In this master class I want to talk about how to make a new one from an old beech bureau, pay attention to special attention to the nail polish removal process and how to do it in hard-to-reach places.

First, let's disassemble the bureau down to the last screw. If you are afraid of not remembering which part was attached where
- mark the fastening points with a pencil in Latin letters or numbers.

After disassembly, you can remove the varnish from each part separately. Which will subsequently improve the quality of painting.

To remove paint I use BOSNY remover. It penetrates into the varnish faster and has less consumption per m2.

Apply the remover composition with a brush, in a layer of up to 5-7 mm. After application, wait 15-20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the varnish layer). During this time, the remover penetrates the composition of the varnish, as if “liquefing” it. It is convenient to remove with a spatula. As you can see in the photo, the old varnish comes off easily, evenly peeling off the wood in a uniform film.

If the varnish does not come off completely, the procedure can be repeated.

This is what the surface looks like after washing. When there are minor stains of remover and varnish residue on the surface of the wood, acetone comes into play.

Apply acetone to a rag (I use pieces of terry towel) and remove unnecessary residue from the wood, wiping the surface lengthwise and crosswise.

The clean and smooth surface is ready for painting.

How to clean varnish from a carved baluster if you don’t have a lathe?

We place the baluster on a cotton fabric (I have an old sheet), pour it generously with acetone, and wrap it in this fabric. Wet it again with acetone so that the entire fabric is wet. Then wrap it in cellophane and leave it for 20 minutes.

Next you will need a bolt with the same diameter as the baluster fastening to the base of the table. A nut is screwed into the bolt so that it does not go deeper than necessary into the base of the baluster. The head of the bolt is pre-sawed off for attaching the bolt to the drill chuck.

We also need a metal sponge for washing dishes.

Screw the nut into the baluster. In this case, a low-power cordless drill and screwdriver will not work; there is a chance that it will burn out. Take a regular corded drill that is more powerful. While turning the baluster, grab the baluster with a metal sponge with your other hand and remove the varnish soaked in acetone. Next, remove the baluster from the drill and sand it by hand with 320 sandpaper.

This is how the uncleaned one differs from the purified one. The balusters are ready for painting, without streaks or scratches from sandpaper.

After this procedure, the balusters will make you smile.

The bureau is cleaned and ready for painting. Let's start painting. Apply candle wax to the places where you want to make abrasions. After painting, the paint will be easily removed from these areas.
We paint with acrylic paint in several stages. The paint is diluted with water and applied in 3 layers. Each layer dries in 1 - 1.5 hours. After drying, each layer is sanded with 320 sandpaper.

The parts are ready for assembly. Everything is simple here, we insert the dowels into the grooves, having previously coated them with glue. We fasten with clamps.

We wait.

While the glue dries, we can decorate the handles for the drawers. You will need glue for gold leaf, gold leaf and a little patience. Apply glue to the handle and wait 20 minutes. Apply gold leaf carefully and smooth with a dry brush. Remove the remaining gold leaf and the handle is ready.

Creative success!

Not everyone can replace old furniture with new ones every time, as this can be expensive. Therefore, you don’t really want to throw away your favorite dining table, comfortable chairs or spacious closet. But this is not necessary, since you can give the furniture a second life.

It will be enough to remove the varnish, which gives the furniture an untidy and shabby look, and cover the products with a new layer of varnish. And all this can be done at home. But you need to find out in advance what you can use to remove old varnish from wood, and how to quickly and effectively get rid of the old coating. There are several proven methods that can be used to remove old coating from a wooden surface.

Mechanical method

The mechanical method is popular, thanks to which you can achieve excellent results and ideally prepare the surface for repair. This method has one significant advantage - the absence of any chemicals. But be prepared for the fact that the process can be long and requires special care.

To carry out mechanical removal of the old coating, you will need tools. It is quite possible to use a metal plate as a tool, which should first be sharpened. This must be done so that the tool can better cope with the task.

Sandpaper of various types can also help in this matter. A brush with metal bristles will come in handy at the very beginning of the preparatory work. You can also use a grinder or even a grinder, which will need to be equipped with a special attachment.

You can use a router if you have one in your home.

All of the above tools will help you cope with a small layer of varnish. When using tools such as a grinder or grinder, it is recommended to be extremely careful not to damage the structure of the product itself.

Don't forget about personal safety methods. The work should be done with gloves, a respirator and safety glasses, since during cleaning there will be a lot of fine dust, breathing which is strictly not recommended.

Work order

Before you begin the process of removing old varnish, you need to prepare the furniture. The old table or sofa will need to be disassembled so that every detail can be carefully processed. It will be easier to remove the old coating from the door.

Prepare a special place at home, cover the floors with film so as not to spoil the surface. It is advisable to carry out all procedures outside, but if there is no yard, then you can do it at home.

The surface of each part must first be subjected to rough processing, be sure to use the special brush mentioned above. Next comes the turn of using coarse sandpaper, which also needs to be carefully processed over the entire surface in order to remove the entire old layer.

After removing the old coating, you should treat the surface of the furniture with fine-grained paper to carry out the so-called sanding. After this procedure, you should get a smooth and clean surface, which must be freed from fine dust. This can be done very quickly, especially if you have a large and soft brush.

A grinding machine can be useful if we are talking about a large surface.

For example, if it is a large cabinet or table.

Chemical method

Many people are afraid of the mechanical cleaning method only because this can ruin the surface and damage the wood. In this case, it is recommended to pay attention to the chemical method, which is also effective, so that you can easily do everything yourself. This method is perfect if you need to remove old coating from an uneven, grooved or carved surface.

Today there are many special products called washes. It can be liquid, powder or gel. The liquid is perfect if the product has a maximum of three layers of varnish. Gels are suitable for multi-layer coatings. And nail polish remover in powder form is ideal for large surfaces.

If you choose powder as a nail polish remover, it is recommended to dilute it a little with water before use. It will be easier to apply a thick paste evenly onto the surface, and this way the product will cope with its task more effectively.

The general algorithm for working with chemicals includes the following steps:

• Before you start work, put on gloves and a respirator to reliably protect yourself. Remember that you are not dealing with aggressive chemicals. Otherwise, the preparation process is similar to that recommended when using the mechanical method.
• Using a regular paint brush, apply the washing liquid evenly to the prepared surface in an even layer. It only needs to be applied in one layer, and then the product should be covered with film. After a couple of hours you can open it. If there are more than three or four layers of varnish, then the product must be left under the film for four hours or more.

• After the film is removed, you need to carefully remove the layers of varnish using a regular spatula. Try not to work with pressure and do not use a spatula that is too sharp, otherwise the wood surface will be seriously damaged.
• Next, you can wash off the remaining varnish with plain water. In order to clean the surface, you can add a little table vinegar to the water. Use only one tablespoon of vinegar essence per liter of water. After this, the product will be ready for you to cover it with a new layer of special varnish.

• If the method described above did not help to completely get rid of all layers of the old coating, it is worth repeating the procedure. If only small areas of old varnish remain on the surface of the furniture, they can be easily removed with sandpaper.

If using a powder or aerosol, follow the same instructions.

Other methods

In addition to the methods described above, there are other cleaning methods, which in professional circles are usually called thermal or thermal. Using this method, the old coating is removed from furniture by heating the surface. At high temperatures, the varnish begins to melt a little and easily lags behind the material.

Undoubtedly, this method requires more careful preparation, and non-professionals must approach the process with knowledge.

• It is imperative to protect your hands with special gloves. If you use regular rubber ones, you can get a serious burn when the surface of the furniture gets too hot.

• The room in which the whole process will take place must be well ventilated, otherwise toxic poisoning can occur.

• Don't forget about a respirator and safety glasses.

In order to carry out thermal cleaning at home, you can use a gas or gasoline burner. You can only work with this unit if this is not your first time. Newbies may create dangerous conditions due to inexperience, causing fires or serious burns. Therefore, it is recommended to strictly adhere to safety rules.

Old wood trim or varnished furniture can be brought back to life again and made no less attractive than it was originally.

Sometimes, in order to paint a wooden surface with a covering paint or cover it with a glazing compound, the old varnish must be completely removed. Otherwise, all the work will be in vain, money and time will be wasted.

This occurs if, for example, there are very large areas of wear on the floorboard or parquet. Or, due to an incorrectly selected composition or a violation of the dyeing technology, the film began to crack, peel or peel off...

In this publication, our experts talk about methods and tools for removing varnish from wood either with your own hands or with the help of professional workers.

Photo 1. Tool for removing old paint ;

Different ways to remove old nail polish

There are three main ways to remove old varnish from a wooden surface:

• Mechanical – the simplest, cheapest and safest;
• Thermal – using high temperature, for those who like to play around with fire;
• Chemical – using chemical compounds (the most expensive method), used mainly when working with large areas and halls;

The choice of technology depends on the skills of the master, the budget and the amount of work.

Mechanical removal of varnish from wood

Removing varnish mechanically involves removing the decorative layer with tools and abrasive material. For this purpose use:

1. sandpaper with different grains (80 and 150) ;
2. eccentric sander;
3. a special machine for removing old coating, for example EDGE-20HD.

This method benefits from the absence of chemicals that negatively affect human health. During the mechanical cleaning process, the structure of the wood is not disturbed. After such grinding, the surface looks like new.

Photo 2. Removing varnish from parquet

There is only one minus, but it is significant - the process is lengthy, the work is accompanied by a large amount of dust from the smallest particles of varnish and wood. To protect your eyes and respiratory tract, you must use goggles and a respirator.;

Photo 3. Re-grinding of the log house

When it comes to cleaning furniture, the structure must be disassembled into its component parts. First, primary treatment is carried out with a brush with soft metal bristles. Next, use a grinding tool with a coarse grit of 80, then with a fine abrasive of 150.

Photo 4. Professional grinding tool

Before painting, the product must be cleaned of dust. It is impossible to process large surfaces by hand, so a sanding machine should be used for them. Such a tool is not cheap, and in this case it is more advisable to hire a professional team of workers.

Hot method for removing varnish from wooden surfaces

The thermal method of removing old varnish comes from the Soviet Union and consists of heating the decorative layer to its melting point. The softened varnish is removed with a metal spatula.

Photo 5. Removing varnish with a hair dryer

Features of the method:

• you need to work in a well-ventilated area, your hands should be protected with gloves and your eyes with goggles;
• if the varnish does not melt, but chars, then this method is not suitable for this composition. In such a situation, you should buy a chemical remover and remove the coating using the method described below.

At home, gasoline or gas lamps are used for heating. If your household doesn’t have such a device, it’s not expensive, and refilling it won’t break the bank either. But you need to work with the burner as carefully as possible so as not to cause a fire.

Photo 6. Grandfather’s method of removing varnish from the floor

A more technologically advanced and safe tool is a hair dryer. The user sets the desired temperature of the supplied air and sequentially heats the wooden surface, removing the melted varnish with a metal spatula. The surface freed from the varnish film is sanded with sandpaper.

Photo 7. Removing old paint

This method is suitable for small amounts of work. For example, this can be used to clean old furniture for repainting.

Cleaning varnished surfaces with chemicals

Varnish can be removed from wood using a chemical remover. This method is indispensable if it is necessary to clean a surface with an uneven texture (aged surface). The remover is sold in the form of powders, gels and liquid solvents. The liquid product works effectively only where there are no more than 3 layers of varnish, since the volatile reagent cannot be absorbed deeply.

Photo 8. You can remove old paint from wood using chemicals

To remove multilayer coatings, gel compounds are used. To treat large areas, it is advisable to use powder, to which a little water is added, bringing the consistency to a paste-like state. Be sure to wear gloves, goggles and a protective apron while working.

The remover is applied with a brush. If the surface is small, it should be covered with polyethylene, which will prevent rapid evaporation of the substance. The holding time of the chemical composition is 3-4 hours. The softened varnish is removed with a metal spatula, using gentle pressure so as not to damage the structure of the wood itself.

Photo 9. Restoration using chemistry

As a rule, it is not possible to achieve an excellent result the first time. If the varnish islands after the initial treatment are minimal, they can be removed with sandpaper. Large areas must be re-treated. This technology is suitable for both large and small surfaces. This is the only way to get rid of old varnish on aged lining. However, the chemical method is not suitable for chipboard, which is destroyed under the influence of a solvent.

Residues of the product are removed with water with the addition of vinegar in a ratio of 5:1. Before recoating with varnish, the surface must dry thoroughly and be treated with 150 abrasive grain.

Conclusion

All the nail polish removal methods that we talked about are available for implementation at home and do not require special skills from the performer. The only condition is that the work must be carried out in compliance with safety rules and using protective equipment, as already mentioned above.

If you do not have the time, desire or patience for such events, it is better to hire a specialist for this work. A professional, having chosen the optimal technology, will remove the varnish quickly and efficiently.