Removing Varnish From Cabinet Doors

You can use a stiff bristled scrub brush to remove varnish from fancy curved details.

Removing varnish from cabinet doors.

Before the stain remover has dried gently scrape the layer of stain and stripper residue from the wood surface with a plastic scraper or putty knife. First i tried just using the paint stripper citristrip. Remove the cabinet doors and drawers from the cabinet base. Scrape off the varnish with a paint scraper or a putty knife.

I applied a thicker coat of the paint stripper with a cheap paint brush and let it sit for 30 minutes. Use a screwdriver to remove the hinges and drawer pulls. If however you don t plan on repainting the object but prefer instead to show off the wood grain underneath or stain it at most then you re going to have to remove every last drop of old paint. Use a marker and a small piece of masking tape to label each drawer and cabinet door with a designated symbol that indicates where they go when finished.

Scouring pads and or steel wool you ll use these with the solvent to remove the stripper residue. For cracks in the door scrape or sand off any rough or raised edges. Allow at least 15 minutes for the stripper to gel the finish. Though labor intensive sandpaper is capable of removing nearly any wood finish.

Step 2 fold a sheet of fine grit sanding paper into a square and sand over the entire surface of the cabinets the cabinet doors and the drawer fronts. Scrape directly into a trash can if possible. Scrape the gelled finish off the cabinets using a paint. It can be used to refinish hardwood floors or it can be used to remove varnish from much smaller surfaces a.

Now back to stripping the paint from the cabinets. Use a screwdriver to remove the screws twisting in a counterclockwise direction. Some of the stain may linger after scraping. Hand sand small spots or leave them and sand it while sanding your door.

Better for indoor use because it smells like oranges but still wear a painting mask and puddy knife. Painters tape to protect areas around cabinets and walls if you are working on something installed like a door frame or kitchen cabinets. Brush the stripper on the cabinet face frames and end jambs two at a time. The layer of stain remover tends to swell or bubble up when ready for removal.