How to Use Chemical Stripper on Curly Wrought Iron Furniture

Curly wrought iron furniture is beautiful but sometimes needs new paint. The old paint must be completely removed before the piece can be repainted. Chemical stripping products are effective but can be toxic.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Water-soluble chemical stripper
• Drop cloth or newspapers
• Eye protection
• Heavy rubber gloves
• Long-sleeved shirt
• Long pants
• Sturdy shoes
• Paper towels
• Water
• Plastic scrub brush (preferably with handle)
• Small brush with very stiff metal bristles
• 1” paint brush
• Small plastic bucket or container
• 2” paint brush with flexible bristles (diagonal cut)
• Sponges
• Old bath mat or substitute to kneel on (optional)

Getting ready

1. Put on protective clothing: a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and sturdy shoes.

2. Cover the work area with a drop cloth or several layers of newspaper. Place a bottle of clean water nearby.

3. Arrange the brushes and bucket of water for accessibility.

Removing old paint

4. Put on the rubber gloves and eye protection. Pour about a cup of the stripper into a small bucket. Turn the furniture upside down so you can access it. Starting in hard-to-reach places, brush a thick coat of stripper onto the furniture.

5. Let the stripper work for five to ten minutes. The old paint will start to bubble up.

6. Using the scrub brush, rub briskly to remove paint. Some will come off easily; parts will still adhere to the furniture. Rinse the brush in the bucket of water and repeat.

7. Choose brushes according to the space you are working in. A diagonal-cut brush is excellent for getting into the narrow places in curly designs, like flowers and leaves.

8. On large pieces of furniture, apply stripper to two separate areas so you can scrape one while the stripper is working on the other.

9. Rinse repeatedly to remove traces of stripper. Change the rinse water frequently.

10. When all the paint has been removed, use a clean sponge to rinse the entire piece.

11. Allow to dry thoroughly before applying primer.

Tips & Warnings

• Water soluble stripper is good to work with because water instantly dissolves the product, especially on skin.
• Don’t waste time scrubbing if the paint is really stuck. Just apply another thick layer of stripper and let it sit for ten minutes.
• The small stiff brush is good for small areas that have very tiny places where the paint is stuck and rubbery.
• The drop cloth or newspapers will end up all wet with gunk from the old paint. Using newspapers means you can just throw the whole mess out.
• If the product gets onto your skin, you will feel burning. Rinse it off right away with water.
• Follow package directions for safety.

Resources

• Maintaining wrought iron furniture
• Tips for patio furniture