Last night, I bought stripper, two types of gloves, a plastic stripping tool and got to work. This was my 1st time to ever use stripper and after using it, I have mixed feelings about it. I am allergic to latex, so I was worried about the gloves causing me an allergic reaction. Secondly, I wasn't sure how "easy" this whole process was going to be. It seems a lot of these types of things are portrayed as taking very little time and so easy to do, but in reality, it is rarely that way. I decided to launch into this project full force after getting home from work at 8.30pm. Well, I wasn't even 2 minutes into it when my fingers and hands were on fire in the thin latex free gloves. I am not sure if it was the chemical reaction to the product or something else, but after 10minutes of trying to apply the stripper with the gloves on, something had to go. So I ditched the gloves. That was a mistake also...I got some flecks of stripper on my hands when I was brushing and it was like I had stuck my hands in an ant pile...they were on major fire and itched like crazy! I relented to opening the other set of gloves, the heavier latex gloves I was trying to avoid using. These gloves seemed to do a better job, but by the end of the project, my hands had the heat issue going on again and the fingers were sticking together because of getting stripper on them. They went straight into the trash. In some areas the stripper removed the paint and grim quiet nicely, in others it dried to quickly for me to get off. I attempted to use a paper towel to get at these areas, mistake. The paper product just stuck to the goop. The whole process took like two hours between applying, removing and cleaning up the mess. These photos are right after the stripper was applied when I was waiting my "15minutes":
Would I recommend using stripper? Yes, if you have a think amount of paint you are trying to remove and sanding won't accomplish or will simply take too much time; BUT be aware of the other complications.
Warning: it is a VERY messy process and the products hurt like mad when in contact with your skin.
Suggestion: have two or three sets of heavy gloves so that you can complete the project without extra hassle over it. Also put something (not plastic as the stripper will eat straight through it) on the ground so you don't have mess on the floor in your garage to try to clean up later.
I meant to take pictures after the stripping process before sanding, but I was in such a hurry to get started when I got home from work today that I didn't so you will just have to imagine it.
I am not done with the sanding, but I am getting close...I need to do the underneath sides of the arms, the bottom of the chair, a few corners and the posts to the arms.
Now I need help...suggestions please??? stain the wood or paint it? Since I was able to get so much of the paint grim off, I am thinking about doing a dark stain. Any thoughts? And no, I have not picked out any fabric yet for the "cushion/seat area". The chair will either go in my bedroom or the living room...just depends on what I find - maybe I'll even find it in my fabric stash. I want it to be versatile and interchangeable between rooms. I am open to your ideas...so send them my way! And THANKS in advance for the comments...
