Maybe you found the perfect piece of wooden furniture at a yard sale, or maybe your landlord gave you the go-ahead to do a little DIY. When you encounter paint on wood that you want to get rid of, you may need to know what is the best way to remove paint from wood or how to remove paint from wood without sanding.
Learn how to remove paint from wood with chemical paint strippers or natural alternatives, as well as plenty of elbow grease, to help you complete your DIY project properly.
What kinds of wood can you strip paint from?
As long as you have the right tools, you can remove paint from nearly any wooden structure. Here are some items you may want to remove the paint from:
- Furniture
- Interior and exterior doors and frames
- Stair railings, banisters, and columns
- Cabinetry
- Vintage or reclaimed furniture
- Wooden floors
- Molding and baseboards
Consider not removing paint if the item is expensive, rare, or treasured, such as a family heirloom or unique antique.
How to take paint off wood
Follow these general steps to completely remove paint from wooden surfaces or items:
1. Determine the quality of the wooden surface under the paint
Choose a small, hidden area of the item, and scrape off a tiny portion to reveal the wood beneath. Look for varnish, a sign that the wood is in good condition and worth exposing. Doing this first ensures that you don’t strip the whole piece and find that it’s in bad condition.
2. Test the paint for lead
If your rental property’s interior wood was painted before the 1970s, there is a chance that the paint could contain lead. You can purchase a lead paint test at your local hardware store. Make sure to follow the EPA’s guidelines for how to remove lead paint safely before continuing your project.
3. Consider if you need a professional
Some paint removal may be too extensive or detailed for you to DIY. Weigh the option (and costs!) of hiring a professional painter or carpenter who has commercial-grade tools and solutions as well as experience and knowledge to do the job effectively and efficiently. You might want to call the pros if you have lead paint on your interior wood, too.
4. Purchase tools and protective equipment
If you’re tackling a piece of furniture or another more manageable project, then you can purchase all of the tools, paint stripping solutions, and protective equipment you may need to get the job done:
- Painter’s tool: No matter which approach you choose, having this five-in-one tool will be a lifesaver. That’s because it has multiple differently shaped edges to help you target different large and small areas on your paint-removal project
- Paintbrush or hardware brush: This is the tool you use to apply paint remover to the surface
- Metal pull scraper: This handheld scraper is hooked at the far end of the scraper so that you can drag it toward you and pull paint off
- Sandpaper: This super-scratchy paper allows you to remove large swaths of paint, complete finishing touches, or sand down wood to be repainted, varnished, or stained
- Paint thinner or stripper: These come in chemical form or natural alternatives that dissolve paint from wood, allowing you to more easily remove it
- Protective gear: Stock up on full-body coverings, face masks, goggles, chemical-safe gloves, and other personal protective gear that saves you from inhaling fumes or debris, getting anything in your eyes, or otherwise accidentally harming yourself.
You can buy all of these items at your local hardware store.
5. Use a chemical paint stripper
Say you choose a chemical paint stripper, which many consider to be the best way to remove paint from wood. These solutions come in a few different forms, including gel or paste, that may be best for vertical surfaces because they don’t drip. They also contain chemicals like turpentine, mineral spirits, acetone, and methyl ethyl ketone that can remove paint well.
Follow the product’s instructions for safe and effective use. You might use a paintbrush or other hardware brush tool to apply the paint remover to the surface.
6. Scrape paint off
Get out your painter’s tool or other paint scraping tool, like a putty knife or pull scraper, to begin stripping the now chemically treated paint from the wood. Apply light to medium pressure at first to avoid harming the wood. If that pressure doesn’t work, consider using more pressure.
7. Finish with sandpaper
Once you’ve applied a solution and scraped the whole piece, let the piece sit for a while. Then, go over it with a sandpaper brush or sheet to get into crevices and catch any small missed area. You can also run the sandpaper over the whole piece to buff out the wood from any scrapes or scratches it sustained from your scraping.
Natural alternatives for paint removal from wood
If you don’t want to use chemical paint strippers, consider these more environmentally friendly options:
- A heat gun: You can use a heat gun to melt the paint, releasing it from the wood so it’s easier to scrape. You can try this on its own or as part of the whole process with chemical stripping solutions.
- Steam stripper: This tool is like a heat gun, except it uses hot water vapor to release the paint from the wood, which makes it easier to scrape off. This can be your main solution or a part of your whole process with chemical stripping solutions.
- Just sandpaper or a paint stripper brush: If you’d rather just use elbow grease, you can scrub the entire surface of the item you’re removing paint from using a sandpaper brush and then sandpaper sheets for smaller areas.
- Vinegar: You can apply warm white vinegar to the painted surface to soften the paint and make it easier to remove.
- Non-toxic paint removers: You can also find paint removing solutions made with natural ingredients like soy gel and citrus that work well.
Restoring wood can be a great way to restyle your current furniture, reclaimed items you buy, or decorative features of your rental space. The next time you’re looking for a rental, use Zumper to search thousands of listings in your ideal neighborhood that check all the boxes.
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