Just a heads up for the author and anyone reading: Don't spray or mix chemical formulations on or near each other if you don't know how they will react. You only need to be unlucky once.
I just used easy-off to strip several layers of paint from my coffee table. It took some serious elbow grease but I’m impressed! Thank you for the info.
The heat gun has to be held in the same area until the paint bubbles. If you go back and forth and don’t focus the gun in one area the heat doesn’t get hot enough to bubble the paint to scrap off.
Good to know. Question though, I found that when I held it for too long that the paint melted and it was just a mess. For me, it seemed that if I heated it just enough I could forcefully scrape it off without creating a melted disaster.
@@RepurposeandUpcycle it is a bit messy no doubt but you also don’t want to cause any deep gouges by forcefully scraping when the paint isn’t quite ready to come off. The bubbling is a good indication the paint is soft enough and separating from the piece.
I have found using a heat gun depends on what kind of paint and how old it is, some will bubble up and your able to remove it though others will literally just turn to goo and is near impossible to remove
On another video they used plastic wrap to cover the Citrus Strip product after you apply it. The plastic kept it moist and it worked better in stripping the paint or varnish
OMG thank you sharing this info! I just finished using the easy off on a table that i have n=been working on for weeks. The easy off worked beautifully!
Yeah when you use the heat gun you have to hold it in place until you see the paint blister or bubble up. Also I use a stiff metal scraper to remove the paint and it works much better than the plastic ones. Good video. By the way the paint stripper is okay on flat surfaces but troublesome in tight areas and hand carved designs. Also the oven cleaner is usable but don't get fooled about the claim of odorless. The fumes can still give you a coughing fit if you use it. Be careful.
The paint will NOT always bubble/blister/crack/peel. I'm working on a project now and the paint started to burn/char and still would barely come off with my wire brush, key alone a scraper. Alternatively: The Easy Off method: 1. Make sure your using EASY OFF. Some of these videos are using just “oven cleaner”. I don’t know if this makes a difference but I don’t want to find out. 2. Make sure you’re using the Heavy Duty (yellow can). Some of these videos are using the regular strength (blue can) and claiming it’s not working so well. And apply it good and thick. Wait 30 minutes. I buy from Home Depot or Lowes because they carry the bigger cans that grocery stores don’t carry. 3. MOST IMPORTANT: DON’T USE WATER TO WIPE OR CLEAN IT OFF !!!!!! I saw one of these videos say to scrub with soap and water and rinse with water. In the video, her table was visibly warped afterwards (which she didn’t bother to mention). When I tried this, the wood began to warp AND crack. Wood and water NEVER get along. After 30 minutes, wipe it off with a dry rag. The paint will just smear. Don’t worry and don’t bother wiping/scrubbing too much. Wipe top layer and let it be damp/tacky. Then use a wire brush to gently scrub AGAINST the grain. The paint should crumble off like eraser shavings. When I scrubbed WITH the grain, it started digging too deep into the soft parts of the wood. You may need to do a second application at this point. Wait 30 min. Wipe. Then gently scrub. 4. Now clean the wood with pure acetone. Gently sand with 400 and paint or sand.
Something I would try with the vinegar would be to lay a towel or old rag on the surface to be stripped and saturate it with cleaning strength vinegar, then wait for 30 minutes and see how it works. I have used Citristrip and left it on overnight with plastic wrap over it. The next day I used a heat gun and a scrapper and the paint pealed away down to bare wood. It had at least 8 layers of old paint on it.
If you're frequent re-furber, you're most likely not a fan of CitriStrip or any other low-odor/creamy-type of stripper. They perform very poorly! Definitely going to give oven cleaner a try after seeing this however! Great video!
I will say that Citristrip seemed to work better many years ago (did they change formulation?) and I agree that the harsher chemicals do strip a tad better. I will say though, the oven cleaner does an amazing job!
I HATE citristrip, they did change the formula and a lot of formulas for strippers. I've moved to a heat gun, but it doesn't work with pulling stain out 😬 I'm flirting with the idea of easy off, but I've seen it do some terrible things to wood
@@SarV1 The easy off works well stripping older stain and paint off of real wood. It doesn't work great on everything though. You just have to test a small area and see.
We have soaked cabinet doors in water for ...maybe a few hours... paint came off easily after that, and wood was fine...These were strong doors, old wood!
Greatest stripping video i’ve been stripping all the wood in my house and the citrus strip is great but it leaves a lot a mess I do a lot of cleaning in other peoples houses and I used all the less oven cleaner I’m going to start using that this is a great video in fact the best thank you
That's exactly the experience I've had trying to strip with a heat gun--jack squat. I've had the wood beneath start to burn but NEVER seen a paint "bubble" on the 3 very different projects I tried it on. I don't know what kind of paint does that but it aint at Home Depot.
You seemed to get good results with the citrus except for what was left. Do you think the oven cleaner used as a 2nd clean method would take off the smeared residue? I know you don't want to go down to bare wood with oven cleaner. It will discolor the wood. OK if you're going to repaint it but then why would you completely strip it?
SmartStrip works phenomenally, and is non-toxic. What works best w/any process, is time. W/SmartStrip, I put it on, heavily, then cover it w/wax paper {at least a little better for the enviro than the cling wrap they suggest}, and leave it for a few days. Side note: I'm not just scraping off one coat of paint. I'm scraping off a century of different layers in my home's woodwork. So this stuff has to eat through, at times, up to 7 or 8 layers of paint. After a few days I scrape--using a heavy duty paint scraper--then bc I have very little upper body strength, I can only get the first few layers off. So I repeat the process, and 95% of the time, the second time takes it all off. I used the CitrusStrip for a while--never the spray, to me that's just adding to the non enviro friendly aspect--but they changed to an inferior formula {their Amazon ratings took a nose dive, too}, and found SmartStrip. Very very little smell, it's in a nice big bucket so you can get it all out, AND reuse the bucket. I'm a huge fan.
Did you try "cleaning vinegar"? It's a stronger vinegar solution. About 6 percent acid vs 5 percent for regular. Sold in the cleaning products section in stores.
I agree. I used both when stripping a door and frame. The oven cleaner was AWESOME. But I used the orange gel (for control-no over spray) boy was that a mess!! The gooey slime is impossible to clean up 😳 Ugh! I wish the oven cleaner had a controlled spray or a gel form…fingers crossed 🤞🏽☺️
I am gonna try a scouring pad or a metal scrubber in addition to the wrapping with plastic and heat gun. Deep wash after and allow to thoroughly dry and then sand with fine grit etc
Not sure you would get the same results in all applications. This looks like it was paint over the top of a finished piece of wood, and likely without a primer laid down first. Not sure you'd get the same results if trying to strip paint that was laid down correctly and over raw wood. I could certainly be mistaken, though.
You are correct; it's not as efficient removing paint or stain from properly painted surfaces. I did a similar video here where I had issues getting the finish off. th-cam.com/video/gy32Zg-yQUg/w-d-xo.html
Very informative video! Except you definitely didn’t use the heat gun correctly. It would’ve worked way better used properly and less mess than the sticky citrus strip. Even though the paint melts so you can scrap it, as soon as it cools you can easily sweep it up and no need to use a cleaner to get up goo
What I’ve learned from the Easy Off method: 1. Make sure your using EASY OFF. Some of these videos are using just “oven cleaner”. I don’t know if this makes a difference but I don’t want to find out. 2. Make sure you’re using the Heavy Duty (yellow can). Some of these videos are using the regular strength (blue can) and claiming it’s not working so well. And apply it good and thick. Wait 30 minutes. I buy from Home Depot or Lowes because they carry the bigger cans that grocery stores don’t carry. 3. MOST IMPORTANT: DON’T USE WATER TO WIPE OR CLEAN IT OFF !!!!!! I saw one of these videos say to scrub with soap and water and rinse with water. In the video, her table was visibly warped afterwards (which she didn’t bother to mention). When I tried this, the wood began to warp AND crack. Wood and water NEVER get along. After 30 minutes, wipe it off with a dry rag. The paint will just smear. Don’t worry and don’t bother wiping/scrubbing too much. Wipe top layer and let it be damp/tacky. Then use a wire brush to gently scrub AGAINST the grain. The paint should crumble off like eraser shavings. When I scrubbed WITH the grain, it started digging too deep into the soft parts of the wood. You may need to do a second application at this point. Wait 30 min. Wipe. Then gently scrub. 4. Now clean the wood with pure acetone. Gently sand with 400 and paint or sand.
Right of the bat I can say she using the wrong Easy Off. Yes, it DOES matter. I love Easy Off best. Second, the heat gun is not meant to be used here-and-there like a hair dryer. Need to focus on a small area at a time and scrape along with it after it starts rising.
@@RepurposeandUpcycle Yellow can Heavy Duty. Here's a detail of how it works VERY effectively What I’ve learned from the Easy Off method: 1. Make sure your using EASY OFF. Some of these videos are using just “oven cleaner”. I don’t know if this makes a difference but I don’t want to find out. 2. Make sure you’re using the Heavy Duty (yellow can). Some of these videos are using the regular strength (blue can) and claiming it’s not working so well. And apply it good and thick. Wait 30 minutes. I buy from Home Depot or Lowes because they carry the bigger cans that grocery stores don’t carry. 3. MOST IMPORTANT: DON’T USE WATER TO WIPE OR CLEAN IT OFF !!!!!! I saw one of these videos say to scrub with soap and water and rinse with water. In the video, her table was visibly warped afterwards (which she didn’t bother to mention). When I tried this, the wood began to warp AND crack. Wood and water NEVER get along. After 30 minutes, wipe it off with a dry rag. The paint will just smear. Don’t worry and don’t bother wiping/scrubbing too much. Wipe top layer and let it be damp/tacky. Then use a wire brush to gently scrub AGAINST the grain. The paint should crumble off like eraser shavings. When I scrubbed WITH the grain, it started digging too deep into the soft parts of the wood. You may need to do a second application at this point. Wait 30 min. Wipe. Then gently scrub. 4. Now clean the wood with pure acetone. Gently sand with 400 and paint or sand.
Yikes! I am always up for new tips and shortcuts, but I am concerned that you conducted this test indoors, with no effort to ventilate, and you aren't using proper mask or goggles or even long sleeves. Anything in aerosol form shouldn't be inhaled. Nor should toxic fumes raised by the heat gun when heating paint to the point of bubbling. And you should protect your eyes and skin from all of the items being used! You are worth more than your workspace!!
Put a layer of wax paper over your stripper. The stripper won't dry out and when you pull the wax paper off, it pulls up everything.
Just a heads up for the author and anyone reading: Don't spray or mix chemical formulations on or near each other if you don't know how they will react. You only need to be unlucky once.
I just used easy-off to strip several layers of paint from my coffee table. It took some serious elbow grease but I’m impressed! Thank you for the info.
The heat gun has to be held in the same area until the paint bubbles. If you go back and forth and don’t focus the gun in one area the heat doesn’t get hot enough to bubble the paint to scrap off.
Good to know. Question though, I found that when I held it for too long that the paint melted and it was just a mess. For me, it seemed that if I heated it just enough I could forcefully scrape it off without creating a melted disaster.
@@RepurposeandUpcycle it is a bit messy no doubt but you also don’t want to cause any deep gouges by forcefully scraping when the paint isn’t quite ready to come off. The bubbling is a good indication the paint is soft enough and separating from the piece.
@@freedomat50 good to know.
I have found using a heat gun depends on what kind of paint and how old it is, some will bubble up and your able to remove it though others will literally just turn to goo and is near impossible to remove
Try pre-sanding the areas with steel wool or sand paper then use the heat gun.
Thank you for this video! I’m going to try laying a towel down and then pouring vinegar on top to hold it in for 30 mins.
I hope it works!
Did it work?
On another video they used plastic wrap to cover the Citrus Strip product after you apply it. The plastic kept it moist and it worked better in stripping the paint or varnish
Yes! I have another video where I've shared that technique too.
OMG thank you sharing this info! I just finished using the easy off on a table that i have n=been working on for weeks. The easy off worked beautifully!
Yeah when you use the heat gun you have to hold it in place until you see the paint blister or bubble up. Also I use a stiff metal scraper to remove the paint and it works much better than the plastic ones. Good video. By the way the paint stripper is okay on flat surfaces but troublesome in tight areas and hand carved designs. Also the oven cleaner is usable but don't get fooled about the claim of odorless. The fumes can still give you a coughing fit if you use it. Be careful.
Good tips
The paint will NOT always bubble/blister/crack/peel. I'm working on a project now and the paint started to burn/char and still would barely come off with my wire brush, key alone a scraper. Alternatively:
The Easy Off method:
1. Make sure your using EASY OFF. Some of these videos are using just “oven cleaner”. I don’t know if this makes a difference but I don’t want to find out.
2. Make sure you’re using the Heavy Duty (yellow can). Some of these videos are using the regular strength (blue can) and claiming it’s not working so well. And apply it good and thick. Wait 30 minutes. I buy from Home Depot or Lowes because they carry the bigger cans that grocery stores don’t carry.
3. MOST IMPORTANT: DON’T USE WATER TO WIPE OR CLEAN IT OFF !!!!!! I saw one of these videos say to scrub with soap and water and rinse with water. In the video, her table was visibly warped afterwards (which she didn’t bother to mention). When I tried this, the wood began to warp AND crack. Wood and water NEVER get along.
After 30 minutes, wipe it off with a dry rag. The paint will just smear. Don’t worry and don’t bother wiping/scrubbing too much. Wipe top layer and let it be damp/tacky. Then use a wire brush to gently scrub AGAINST the grain. The paint should crumble off like eraser shavings. When I scrubbed WITH the grain, it started digging too deep into the soft parts of the wood. You may need to do a second application at this point. Wait 30 min. Wipe. Then gently scrub.
4. Now clean the wood with pure acetone. Gently sand with 400 and paint or sand.
So helpful. I’m planning to strip a wall mounted wood entertainment cab!
Thank you! Good luck.
Something I would try with the vinegar would be to lay a towel or old rag on the surface to be stripped and saturate it with cleaning strength vinegar, then wait for 30 minutes and see how it works. I have used Citristrip and left it on overnight with plastic wrap over it. The next day I used a heat gun and a scrapper and the paint pealed away down to bare wood. It had at least 8 layers of old paint on it.
good tip!
Such beautiful wood underneath!! I never would have painted it :-) but I love dark wood and wood grain.
Girl same! I’m staining my bed a dark walnut colour, I did a patch test and I am in love. Dark wood for the win!
If you're frequent re-furber, you're most likely not a fan of CitriStrip or any other low-odor/creamy-type of stripper. They perform very poorly! Definitely going to give oven cleaner a try after seeing this however! Great video!
I will say that Citristrip seemed to work better many years ago (did they change formulation?) and I agree that the harsher chemicals do strip a tad better. I will say though, the oven cleaner does an amazing job!
I HATE citristrip, they did change the formula and a lot of formulas for strippers. I've moved to a heat gun, but it doesn't work with pulling stain out 😬
I'm flirting with the idea of easy off, but I've seen it do some terrible things to wood
@@SarV1 The easy off works well stripping older stain and paint off of real wood. It doesn't work great on everything though. You just have to test a small area and see.
@@RepurposeandUpcycleI just experienced this! Used it 20 years ago and it was great, got some last month and it was useless!
We have soaked cabinet doors in water for ...maybe a few hours... paint came off easily after that, and wood was fine...These were strong doors, old wood!
Wow just water?
Greatest stripping video i’ve been stripping all the wood in my house and the citrus strip is great but it leaves a lot a mess I do a lot of cleaning in other peoples houses and I used all the less oven cleaner I’m going to start using that this is a great video in fact the best thank you
I'm so glad to hear it!
Acid - is taking your paint off.
Heat Gun + Metal scraper, plastic will melt.
That's exactly the experience I've had trying to strip with a heat gun--jack squat. I've had the wood beneath start to burn but NEVER seen a paint "bubble" on the 3 very different projects I tried it on. I don't know what kind of paint does that but it aint at Home Depot.
Glad to know I'm not the only one with a failed attempt with heat gun.
You seemed to get good results with the citrus except for what was left. Do you think the oven cleaner used as a 2nd clean method would take off the smeared residue? I know you don't want to go down to bare wood with oven cleaner. It will discolor the wood. OK if you're going to repaint it but then why would you completely strip it?
Yes the oven cleaner would work great as a second clean method actually and I have since used it as that!
I’m wondering, if You put a layer of cling film or plastic wrap over the oven cleaner, would it work even better?
I'm not sure! The question would be if the cleaner would eat away at the plastic.
I use my steamer. You can also heat up the vinegar.
Now that's an idea!
Will the oven cleaner work on an oil based paint?
It should!
SmartStrip works phenomenally, and is non-toxic. What works best w/any process, is time. W/SmartStrip, I put it on, heavily, then cover it w/wax paper {at least a little better for the enviro than the cling wrap they suggest}, and leave it for a few days. Side note: I'm not just scraping off one coat of paint. I'm scraping off a century of different layers in my home's woodwork. So this stuff has to eat through, at times, up to 7 or 8 layers of paint. After a few days I scrape--using a heavy duty paint scraper--then bc I have very little upper body strength, I can only get the first few layers off. So I repeat the process, and 95% of the time, the second time takes it all off. I used the CitrusStrip for a while--never the spray, to me that's just adding to the non enviro friendly aspect--but they changed to an inferior formula {their Amazon ratings took a nose dive, too}, and found SmartStrip. Very very little smell, it's in a nice big bucket so you can get it all out, AND reuse the bucket. I'm a huge fan.
That's great to know. I'm going to have to give the SmartStrip a try. And you are right....stripping wood takes time and patience.
Will they also work for small object like wooden puzzles because i have tons of them both old and brand new and i want to change the colors?
Not sure I've never tried a small object. Test it out!
You should have add club soda powder to the table before adding the vinegar
Good to know
Did you try "cleaning vinegar"? It's a stronger vinegar solution. About 6 percent acid vs 5 percent for regular. Sold in the cleaning products section in stores.
Yes I've tried that too and it does work on some surfaces but for this surface it just didn't budge.
I agree. I used both when stripping a door and frame. The oven cleaner was AWESOME. But I used the orange gel (for control-no over spray) boy was that a mess!! The gooey slime is impossible to clean up 😳 Ugh! I wish the oven cleaner had a controlled spray or a gel form…fingers crossed 🤞🏽☺️
use some soap in your water to clean up the Oven Cleaner...and use a steel wool to scrub it with. It will come right up.
Good tip! I'll try that next time.
I am gonna try a scouring pad or a metal scrubber in addition to the wrapping with plastic and heat gun. Deep wash after and allow to thoroughly dry and then sand with fine grit etc
Not sure you would get the same results in all applications. This looks like it was paint over the top of a finished piece of wood, and likely without a primer laid down first. Not sure you'd get the same results if trying to strip paint that was laid down correctly and over raw wood. I could certainly be mistaken, though.
You are correct; it's not as efficient removing paint or stain from properly painted surfaces. I did a similar video here where I had issues getting the finish off. th-cam.com/video/gy32Zg-yQUg/w-d-xo.html
By any chance, did you try to add the heat gun to any of the options? Was curious if any of the two would work even better combined with heat.
No I didn't but that's a great idea!
Heat gun works well with less clean up.
When using the putty knife you should scrape with the wood grain. It is easy to damage the wood otherwise.
what the best way of Remove Paint from a Plaster Statue thanks from paul
Very informative video! Except you definitely didn’t use the heat gun correctly. It would’ve worked way better used properly and less mess than the sticky citrus strip. Even though the paint melts so you can scrap it, as soon as it cools you can easily sweep it up and no need to use a cleaner to get up goo
Can you people pleas specify what KIND of paint? is it oil based or what?
Latex paint!
👍Good job!
Thank you!
What I’ve learned from the Easy Off method:
1. Make sure your using EASY OFF. Some of these videos are using just “oven cleaner”. I don’t know if this makes a difference but I don’t want to find out.
2. Make sure you’re using the Heavy Duty (yellow can). Some of these videos are using the regular strength (blue can) and claiming it’s not working so well. And apply it good and thick. Wait 30 minutes. I buy from Home Depot or Lowes because they carry the bigger cans that grocery stores don’t carry.
3. MOST IMPORTANT: DON’T USE WATER TO WIPE OR CLEAN IT OFF !!!!!! I saw one of these videos say to scrub with soap and water and rinse with water. In the video, her table was visibly warped afterwards (which she didn’t bother to mention). When I tried this, the wood began to warp AND crack. Wood and water NEVER get along.
After 30 minutes, wipe it off with a dry rag. The paint will just smear. Don’t worry and don’t bother wiping/scrubbing too much. Wipe top layer and let it be damp/tacky. Then use a wire brush to gently scrub AGAINST the grain. The paint should crumble off like eraser shavings. When I scrubbed WITH the grain, it started digging too deep into the soft parts of the wood. You may need to do a second application at this point. Wait 30 min. Wipe. Then gently scrub.
4. Now clean the wood with pure acetone. Gently sand with 400 and paint or sand.
Great video!
I wonder if this would work with paint that has polyurethane in it?
Yes it will!
Sandblaster?
I haven't ever tried that but it's on the list.
What was the strength of the vinegar?
You have to use the heat gun until the paint bubbles.
Right of the bat I can say she using the wrong Easy Off. Yes, it DOES matter. I love Easy Off best.
Second, the heat gun is not meant to be used here-and-there like a hair dryer. Need to focus on a small area at a time and scrape along with it after it starts rising.
Which Easy Off do you use?
@@RepurposeandUpcycle
Yellow can Heavy Duty. Here's a detail of how it works VERY effectively
What I’ve learned from the Easy Off method:
1. Make sure your using EASY OFF. Some of these videos are using just “oven cleaner”. I don’t know if this makes a difference but I don’t want to find out.
2. Make sure you’re using the Heavy Duty (yellow can). Some of these videos are using the regular strength (blue can) and claiming it’s not working so well. And apply it good and thick. Wait 30 minutes. I buy from Home Depot or Lowes because they carry the bigger cans that grocery stores don’t carry.
3. MOST IMPORTANT: DON’T USE WATER TO WIPE OR CLEAN IT OFF !!!!!! I saw one of these videos say to scrub with soap and water and rinse with water. In the video, her table was visibly warped afterwards (which she didn’t bother to mention). When I tried this, the wood began to warp AND crack. Wood and water NEVER get along.
After 30 minutes, wipe it off with a dry rag. The paint will just smear. Don’t worry and don’t bother wiping/scrubbing too much. Wipe top layer and let it be damp/tacky. Then use a wire brush to gently scrub AGAINST the grain. The paint should crumble off like eraser shavings. When I scrubbed WITH the grain, it started digging too deep into the soft parts of the wood. You may need to do a second application at this point. Wait 30 min. Wipe. Then gently scrub.
4. Now clean the wood with pure acetone. Gently sand with 400 and paint or sand.
Heat gun removes paint like butter if you do it right.
That's true but I don't think it works on every surface.
I would use those harsh product inside 0.0
Vinegar needs to be covered with plastic wrap.
Good to know
Yikes! I am always up for new tips and shortcuts, but I am concerned that you conducted this test indoors, with no effort to ventilate, and you aren't using proper mask or goggles or even long sleeves. Anything in aerosol form shouldn't be inhaled. Nor should toxic fumes raised by the heat gun when heating paint to the point of bubbling. And you should protect your eyes and skin from all of the items being used! You are worth more than your workspace!!
…not how you use a heat gun
Clueless.
Hello there,
Hope you are good
Kindly check your email
Wth
How long to leave the easy off on the wood before u take it off
I normally wait 30 minutes