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Below is some information based on our experience to help you decide if your pieces would benefit from our dipping process.
It works out economical to have paint stripped in this manner opposed to other methods such as gels, burning or physically scrapping off.
Once stripped of paint a piece of furniture will be completely transformed back to its original state and will take on a new identity, a new lease of life as though brand new. It is re-cycling at it’s very best.
What can be stripped?
Pine - This strips well. Examples of commonly stripped items are doors, cupboards, chairs, chest of drawers, skirting boards, architraves, window frames and floorboards.
Oak - This strips readily, but tends to go dark, as if the piece was stained in dark oak when made. Oak may sometimes split when drying out.
Mahogany & Walnut - Again, these woods tend to darken up, and have similar characteristics to oak.
Satinwood - Commonly used for bedroom furniture, it strips readily and has a greyish tinge, sometimes exposing dark graining. It polishes up brilliantly and looks good with pine.
Furniture that was popular in the 1930/50’s contains a lot of thin plywood and, or, veneer. This is difficult to strip and may warp.
What can’t be Stripped?
Mirrors - The reflective silver on the back also strips off and leaves you with a sheet of glass.
Relief mouldings - If made from plaster, alabaster or resin they will disintegrate.
Chipboard, hardboard and some plywood’s. These materials absorb water and will fall to pieces.
Veneered surfaces - The veneer has a tendency to lift off.
Problematic for Stripping
Polyuthane varnish, or paint, and spray-lacquered pieces may not strip satisfactorily or even at all. It is useful to let us test a small section first for example a drawer.
Modern doors, skirting etc (modern to us, is within the last twenty years). These doors may have been undercoated with a water based or acrylic paint onto bare wood. The topcoats of gloss paint will strip off but the undercoat will remain. Again it is useful to let us test a small section.
Some Useful Information
If you require the door furniture to be stripped e.g. hinges, locks and handles, leave them on! Iron, steel, copper and brass come up a treat. Alloy metals will not shine up although any rust will be removed.
Glass in doors is not a problem. It is possible in older furniture where the putty is brittle and loose that you may have to re-putty in places after stripping.
Rarely glass does crack with the expansion of the wood. With this in mind glass must be at your own risk.
Earlier furniture makers used animal by-product glue. This is not a waterproof, and it is likely that you may have to carry out some small repairs such as drawer joints.
Woodworm and other infestations will be killed off in the process, and are unlikely to return. However pieces that have been heavily infected with woodworm in the past will take longer to dry-out as the boreholes act like a sponge adsorbing more liquid.
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