Rehabber’s Rehab

I have two words for you: Heat Gun.

I fell in love with this device about 5 seconds after using it when the paint began to bubble and peel off immediately.  My previous experiences working with chemical strippers left me frustrated and with unattractive results. 

Perhaps they are more effective if you are not attempting to remove 10 layers of paint at once. After a couple of hours of layering on the stripper, waiting for it to work, scraping off some of the paint and then repeating this process again and again, only to be left with wood that looked uneven and splotchy, I was considering giving up and giving in and just paint it all.  I decided to try another chemical that is supposed to remove 7 layers of paint (right up my alley) and be stronger than the others.  I would say it was even less effective than the others.

I thought I’d give it one last try with the heat gun, and after about 5 minutes of fiddling with it to get the hang of it, I was removing paint in long strips leaving a clean board behind. So, here is my how to strip paint with the heat gun:

1. Set up your area. Although the heat gun has the advantage of not being as noxious smelling as the chemicals, you are still heating up paint of unknown composition, so be in as well ventillated of an area as possible.  Put a tarp down if you don’t want the floors to get messed up.  The hot paint might stick to and/or melt the plastic.  I liked using an old wooden cabinet because I would nail into it to make braces for the different sized pieces to keep them from moving while I scraped.
2. Gather your equipment. .  You’ll need a heat gun, a mask, scrapers/putty knives, and nail snips or pliers.  I liked a narrower scraper, 1 1/2″.  I found using a narrower scraper worked best by allowing me to apply more even pressure and get a cleaner line.  You will need a metal scraper because plastic might melt.  Be careful not to gouge the wood with it though!  If you run into resistance don’t keep pushing or you may gouge it.
3. Get ready and go! I set the three level heat gun to 800 degrees, and the two level to high.  Don’t hold the heat gun in one spot for too long or you may burn the wood.  With the gun about an inch above the board, as the paint bubbles, move it steadily with the scraper removing long narrow strips of paint as you go.  Keep the scraper clean between stripe by scraping it off.  This is easiest while the blade and paint are still a little warm.
4. Remove Staples and nails. I waited to remove the nails until I was done stripping the top surface because they helped to hold the board in place and keep them from shifting as I scraped. However, you might want to do this first depending on your work surface.  We pulled the nails out the back with nail snips because this left the front side of the board smoother and more intact vs pushing the nails out the front side.
5. Remove remaining paint and varnish. To get off the remaining bits of paint and varnish you’ll need a metal container (preferably one with a lid if there’s any extra), shallac thinner (denatured alcohol), lacquer thinner, gloves, steel wool, and a stiff tooth brush and metal brush.  I liked a 1:1 mix of shallac and lacquer thinner.  Dip the steel wool in the mixture and rub the surface of the board.  Wipe excess away with a rag or paper towel.  Any stubborn or small crevices you can get into with the brush.  Try to avoid sanding as this can ruin the stain you’ve uncovered.  Also it can create a surface that may take subsequent treatments (staining) unevenly.
6. Sit back and admire. You’ve earned it

Safety precautions: The heat gun gets hot! duh.  Avoid blowing yourself with it.  Also the tip gets hot whether it is on and stays hot afterware.  I accidentally burned my leg with it as a result.  Avoid setting it down on anything that might burn or melt (like the cord). The paint gets hot as well and can burn you.  If it is still flexible it is still too hot to touch.  Also, as mentioned, you don’t know the components of the paint you are heating up, so wear a mask and work in a well ventillated area.

Hope this helps some other sucker for natural wood out there with time to spare, and good luck!