This isn’t so much about the project, but the product that I used and was very pleased with.
I have a lamp base made by my grandfather. It’s oak that he had turned on a lathe and then finished with lacquer. I didn’t like the way the lacquer yellowed so I regrettably sprayed it with a textured granite paint years ago. Researching on the internet told me that type of paint is extremely difficult to remove. I haven’t used paint stripper or remover for quite a few years so I had no idea what to try. I really wanted the texture of the granite paint off the lamp base so I would be down to wood grain again. I dreaded the job. I wasn’t sure I would be able to get the granite paint off and I had no expectation of getting the thick layer of old lacquer off.
After perusing the options at Lowe’s I decided on a can of spray since this was a fairly small job – Crown Tuff-Strip. It’s described as a heavy duty stripper that clings well to vertical surfaces.
How it worked
I took the lamp base and the spray stripper outside so I wouldn’t breathe the fumes. I had purchased chemical resistant gloves to protect my hands. I put the lamp on a piece of cardboard and sprayed one side of the lamp.
The directions said to use a putty knife to scrape the melted paint off. Because of the curves I was going to end up gouging the wood more than removing the paint. I had a bag of steel wool and switched to using it to wipe the melted paint off. The can said to wait 5-10 minutes after applying the stripper. Closer to five worked best — at 10 the paint was starting to re-solidify. It also worked better doing small areas.
The paint wiped off amazingly easily, but the process is tedious. Spray the stripper, find something to do for a few minutes, wipe off the section, repeat, and repeat. It took a while but when the paint was off I realized only a couple small patches of lacquer remained, so I worked on them and got them off. The entire lamp is down to bare wood and looks gorgeous.
I didn’t breathe any bad fumes, didn’t hurt my hands, and with a little over and hour of working I had a clean lamp base. I will definitely use Tuff-Strip again — the product really did perform as the can promised.
(note: I have no sponsors so this is an objective review.)
The Tuff Strip product did not work to my satisfaction. 1. Wooden work area has two coats of paint on it. Following the directions only certain areas scraped the paint off. I spent too much time going over these areas. 2. Wood door frames in our house have been a catastrophe to get the paint off. I started at 8:00 this morning, and it is 5:00 now, and I still have not been satisfied with my efforts results.
Sorry you didn’t get the same results I did. I have tried strippers other people have had great luck with and just ended up with a mess. It makes me think it depends on what finish you’re removing. I have no idea what my grandpa finished the lamp base with that Tuff Strip worked so well on. Could have been a lacquer, but it was at least 50 years old so I’m just glad it came off. Hope you find something non-toxic that melts your finish off for you.
I will not purchase the 32 ounce can of Crown Tuff Strip again.
I used tried four different brands of paint stripper to take paint off an airplane and tuff strip worked the best of all of them. however, lowes home improvement quite carrying it before I was finished and now I cant find any anywhere. the distributor says that they still make it but cant find it. Any ideas??
My only suggestion would be to talk to Crown at 281-485-1458 and ask them who are selling it to. Hopefully they can check by zip code and find someone in your area.
I used the non-spray version of this to great effect. A large heavy wooden door in my 95 year old house had at least 5 color changes of paint that were not holding up well. I tried a liquid stripper that did not do much, but this one comes in a thick gloopy liquid that you paint on. I used a small metal pail to pour it into so I could carry it the length of the door. By painting an area, the working on a previously treated area, I was able to be constantly working. It even got into the beautiful molding. I will definitely use this product again.
BTW, I got it at Lowe’s
Danni – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your comments since another reader has sent me several angry emails because the product didn’t work for her like it did for me. I had the same experience as you — I was able to work steadily by applying it in sections and it worked it’s way into crevices so I was able to get the varnish out of them.
I am working on kitchen cabinets that a ‘professional’ painter totally messed up. I have an entire kitchen to remove paint from varnished cabinets. The Crown Tuff Strip is working amazingly well. I have a long road ahead but this stripper is a huge help. Going back to Lowe’s for more. (btw we live in Texas if that helps.)
So sorry to hear that happened to you. I have been burned by “professionals” as well and had to do the job again myself. Removing that much paint and varnish is going to be an enormous task and you’re going to go through a fortune in stripper. My concern is fumes. Have you considered using something like Citristrip? It’s a thick gel and you can cover it with plastic wrap and leave it overnight if necessary to remove all layers. Let me know how this project turns out for you.
I love the way Crown TUFF STRIP works! I have been stripping an old nightstand that was painted and painted over ,including an oil based paint.It has taken off top 2 coats ,then had to re-apply for oil based coat,but it works! I live in SC Greenville and Lowes carries it.