Paint Strippers
Updated: Dec. 03, 2010
I want to strip the paint off several pieces of furniture but I am worried that this will be expensive. The last time I did a job like this it took a lot of paint stripper. Is there any way to make the stripper go further?
Yes, you can get a lot of mileage out of paint stripper, with a couple of tricks. Spreading it thin is not going to help, it will simply dry out too fast and not do the job at all. Put a collection tray under your work area, so you can collect all the drippings. Let all the mess settle and then pour off the stripper. You can actually recuperate and recycle a good percentage of your original stripper. What has not evaporated will still strip paint. The other trick is to apply it thickly so there are lots of chemicals there to do the job, then cover it all with plastic to prevent evaporation. On small areas, laying plastic kitchen film directly onto the stripper holds all the solvents in where they can take their time to do their job. Preventing evaporation and recycling the liquid saves you money and gets less stripper to remove more paint.
