Stripping paint with a steam cleaner

Not parrot related AT ALL, but I know we have some real DIY knowledgeable people on here who may know if this is a good idea or not

I'm already planning out my projects for the upcoming year, and one thing I'd like to do is refinishing our dining table. It was a thrift store find and painted a most atrocious shade of purple (but only cost a couple bucks). We painted over it when we got it (years ago), but it has started getting chipped up and looking not as nice anymore. It's solid wood (you can see underneath it), so I want to take it down to the bare wood and stain it dark walnut instead of having it painted. I know some sanding will be involved, but sanding through numerous layers of paint sounds most unappealing. Also not interested in using caustic paint stripping chemicals. I have heard you can use a vapor steam cleaner to loosen paint and make it easier to scrape. Curious if anyone's used this method, and if so, how it worked for you/any pointers? The paint is probably 4-6 coats thick, and I'm unsure if the original paint was over some kind of varnish or bare wood. It is acrylic based paint. I'm assuming our dining chairs, which are just stained wood, will have to be sanded down to the bare wood to be re-stained a new color.

And since I know some of our more 'set in their ways' members may have an issue with my "terminology", I feel I should note- I of course am not a pro furniture refinisher, but I think you get the point of what I'm trying to communicate even if it's not the precise 'language' of the 'pros':54:

April, I have used a pressure washer to strip paint off of outside decks before repainting, but never done any furniture. The pressure washer worked well, just had to be careful the "pressure" wasn't too much to leave "grooves" in the wood.

Not sure that was the kind of help you were asking for, but it's all I got!

Here's what it looks like now:



When we got it, it had a bunch of cracked tiles in the center, so we knocked them all out with a crowbar and replaced with a custom-cut glass insert. I currently have a piece of black vinyl under the glass, but I can just lift it up and switch the insert out seasonally with any flat, cut to size material I want (if that makes sense). I wouldn't change the center portion, just the painted (white and black) parts. I'm guessing the chairs will be relatively easy, seeing as they are just plain old wood dining chairs.

Looking to stain the table and chairs this color:


And also may use some wood-look wallpaper under the glass for a while to give the appearance of a wood-top table.

Amanda_Bennett said:

April, I have used a pressure washer to strip paint off of outside decks before repainting, but never done any furniture. The pressure washer worked well, just had to be careful the "pressure" wasn't too much to leave "grooves" in the wood.

Not sure that was the kind of help you were asking for, but it's all I got!

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Only problem is, I don't have a pressure washer, just a hose. I do have a rather good vapor steam cleaner though that came with a warning not to use on painted surfaces, I assume meaning it will take the paint right off

I would assume heat and moisture would "bubble" the paint and then it could be removed easily. I would make sure it dries very well before putting any stain or paint on it after you steam it.

Amanda_Bennett said:

I would assume heat and moisture would "bubble" the paint and then it could be removed easily. I would make sure it dries very well before putting any stain or paint on it after you steam it.

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Of course. I'd probably let it 'dry out' for a couple days, then sand it and stain it. I saw a guy on youtube doing the steam cleaner and the paint coming off in large chunks, but he didn't say what kind of paint (acrylic, latex, oil-based) or how many coats or anything. Also not sure about the intricacies of the legs either, which is why I was wondering if anyone else had done it.

The heat and steam of a vapor steamer will indeed ruin paint- which is your goal in this case....but!! Heat AND moisture can be wood's worst enemy- it can cause the wood to warp....this is the main reason they say not to use steam cleaners on wood floors.

I personally would opt for the pressure washer- mine I use a 4000psi tip and it strips anything off of anything hehehe (don't put your fingers in the water stream!)

The other option is to apply just heat- use your blow dryer if you don't have a heat gun and scrape as you go. Be careful if there's an underlying layer of varnish which will become sticky when heated.

Or you can just try scraping the layers off with a sharp putty knife- be careful not to gouge the wood or you'll have more sanding to do...

I don't have a pressure washer or a blow dryer or a heat gun lol. I suppose I could probably find a cheap blow dryer at goodwill though. I have no idea what is under the paint, as it was already (clearly a DIY job) painted when we bought it. They could have sanding off all the varnish or just painted right over it. In spots it's chipped, it doesn't appear to be varnished, but small chips aren't necessarily a good indicator...

I guess the worse that could happen is I ruin a table I paid $5 for 8 years ago. They sell this exact style with the same tile top this one originally had for under $200, so if it got ruined, I'd just order another one, start with a clean slate, knock all the tiles out and re-use my piece of glass (which was expensive being custom cut with beveled edges) [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Dining-Table-Terracotta-Natural-Finish/dp/B002PBN17Q"]Amazon.com - Dining Table with Terracotta Tile Top Natural Finish - Kitchen Table And Chairs[/ame] It's not like it's an especially nice table, I'd just rather spend $20 refinishing this one than buy a whole new one

There is a tool you can get . Attach it to a drill . I've used one years ago. I found one on amazon
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Special-Machine-Tool-CG-1-Stripper/dp/B00002N9E2]Special Machine/Tool CG-1 Roto Stripper - Paint Strippers - Amazon.com[/ame]

Oh man... If you lived closer id say just bring it out and pressure wash it here. Or you could borrow a heat gun

You could rent a pressure washer at one of those places that rent the larger tools and things. It probably wouldn't be too much to just rent it for a day.

Or once the weather turns nicer you could come visit me and Zilla. I have one here.

You've probably got a couple of different finishes on your old table. The original finish was probably a lacquer, with subsequent finishes possibly being of oil and/or latex.

While a pressure washer can usually be used to remove latex paints, I'm not sure it would work on lacquers...and...if your table is like the one in the pic you posted, there's a pretty good chance there is a wood veneer over pressed wood, so,...instead, you might want to first try an old hair dryer set to high, to lift off the brushed on/sprayed on succeeding paints, then, if it is finished with lacquer, you'll want to first be in a well ventilated area, then mix a 50-50 solution of denatured alcohol and lacquer thinner and paint the solution on the lacquer finish...it should bubble up & let you scrape the mess off...it may take several coatings & scrapings, but it should take the majority of any lacquer finish off & when it's all dried, allow you to sand a smooth finish, ready for new paint.

If you want to eventually put a nice finish on your table, plan on hand sanding, without any mechanical stripping tools.....

Good luck.....

Garage sales are good places to find cheap hair dryers & sometimes a heat gun or two.....if you do use a heat gun, practice with it, they get very hot & can lift veneers from laying a hot gun down on the table.....

If the legs are screwed/bolted on, take them off & see if you can tell what the substrate the veneer was glued to, probably junk wood or pressed wood.....

weco said:

Garage sales are good places to find cheap hair dryers & sometimes a heat gun or two.....if you do use a heat gun, practice with it, they get very hot & can lift veneers from laying a hot gun down on the table.....

If the legs are screwed/bolted on, take them off & see if you can tell what the substrate the veneer was glued to, probably junk wood or pressed wood.....

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I can see bare wood when I look under the table. Looks like the same stuff as the lumber you see at home depot to my untrained eye. It is not finished and is pale with grain so I *think* it is real wood (?). I know the center part that the glass rests on is particle board and you can see that under the table too, but the sides (and I'm assuming legs) appear to be natural wood. I'm sure it's not high-end uber luxury next to extinct fancywood or whatever, but it could probably take a stain if I get all the paint and whatever else is on it off right? I know this cheap table and chairs will NEVER look like an expensive dining set. I just want them a different color




Hey I can still see a smudge of the "fantastic" shade of grape purple it was when we bought it lol

Well, your first pic looks like possibly a fruitwood stile, but your second pic looks like the bottom half of the side stile is possibly maple.....it is possible that those wood grains are painted on (computer generated artwork), but if there's real wood under all that paint, you may have something to work with, but with your legs, you might want to use the hair dryer to lift/bubble the paint, then use "citrus" paint remover & again in a well ventilated area.....the turns on the legs is going to be your hardest part..and...they will be solid wood...my original commentary was based on the squared legs in your original post pics.....

The squared leg table is the color I would like for my dining set to be. I'm fairly sure this is wood. I think it's a bit nicer quality than the one on amazon that looks similar, but it's not exactly a showroom piece if you know what I mean.

When you get everything stripped, sanded & ready to paint, if you plan on using latex, get yourself some Flotrol and have it mixed in your pain when you have it mixed...it is a wetting agent and retards the drying time of paint, allowing a much smoother finish...they make a similar wetting agent for oil based paints too.....

I want to use a wood stain, not paint. The stain is the same color I stained a kitchen island, wine rack with and some decorative wood crates with last year I wouldn't bother stripping it if I was just painting it In any case, thanks for the advice.

Can't you rent a pressure washer for a day? I'm not sure how much it would cost but check it out. Please be careful though. The pressure washer will put gouges in the wood if you us a pressure that is too strong.

So, I am FINALLY getting around to this project this week, since it's suppose to be sunny after today for a couple days. After much research, I think the citrus stripper is going to be the way to go to get through everything on the table. I will be working outside of course. I have my scraper and steel brushes ready to go for those turned legs!

I also found the *greatest* table ever to strive for my poor table to look like:



Naturally, this one is a $3500 table with a real marble top. Fortunately, I found some faux marble tiles at home depot that were super cheap paired with a very dark stain and I can have a "similar" look for under $100. I'm so excited to start I may be a bit 'sparse' on the forum for a while:54: