Removing Paint or Varnish

Most home repair jobs require you to remove a coat of old paint or varnish before applying new finish. And, rather than using potentially dangerous chemicals, we'll show you how to use a power sander or heat.

Below is some information you need to take into account before you start up your power sander or heat gun.

Sand:

Step 1: To Sand or Not to Sand: Paint or varnish can be sanded away with any type of power or hand sander (Fig. 8). For bigger sanding jobs, you'll want to use a power sander. Belt, disk or drum sanders can be used.

• Caution: Although sanding removes a painted surface quickly and easily, it has one basic disadvantage - it also removes some of the wood surface underneath the paint. If you are working on a fine piece of furniture, sanding is not recommended.
  

Step 2: Choosing Right Coarse: When sanding old paint or varnish from the surface, use open coat, coarse sandpaper. Fine sandpaper clogs up quickly, making it ineffective as a paint remover.

• Tip: As a rule, sanding is recommended only on extremely rough jobs. Chemical paint removers are much more effective and easier to use.

Heat:

Step 1: Heating Up: You can also remove paint with heat, which destroys the film in the old paint. This makes it easy to scrape the old paint away (Fig. 18). Special electric paint removers or heat guns use heat for paint or varnish removal.

Step 2: Let the Scraping Begin: Scrape away the paint immediately after it is heated. Use a broad paint scraper for removing the heated paint right behind the electric softener.

• Tip: Remember that you should never allow the heat gun to stay in one spot long enough to burn the wood. Keep moving often to avoid browned or darkened spots on the surface from excessive heat.
  

Courtesy of the National Retail Hardware Association