If you want your paint stripping project to look anything list this (see video below), read on to get a supply list and follow three simple instructions. Stripping furniture, or in this case a stairway banister, just became less stressful and less work!
**Having a furniture refinishing business, I follow these instructions to get the job done quickly and efficiently. My cousin recently asked how she could properly strip the paint off of her stairway risers and banister. This blog post was created with her permission, I do not own her video or photos.**
Now, let's start with your supply list:
PPE - Gloves, Eye Protection, Respirator and Anything Else You May Want (If you can't strip your project outside, make sure you have plenty of windows open and fans for airflow.)
Chip Brush (Or any other brush you don't care about because you'll most likely throw this away once you're done.)
Saran Wrap/Plastic Wrap/Cling Wrap
Plastic Putty Knife (or whichever you prefer to scrape stubborn paint)
Blue Shop Towels (general clean up)
Worth mentioning... I am not receiving any kind of compensation for these recommendations, and you'll notice I link the key products to Home Depot. These can be found at other home improvement stores.
STEP ONE, using your chip brush or any other paint brush that you don't care much about, liberally paint CitruStrip onto your project. You'll see this stair banister is covered in an orange substance, that's the stripping gel. This banister was white, so don't paint it on so thin that you barely see the orange.
STEP TWO, cover the project in plastic wrap, as shown in the photo. It starts to work in as little as 30 minutes, but you can wait up to 24 hours with it covered like this. I recommend letting it work all 24 hours under the plastic wrap.
STEP THREE, remove the plastic wrap (like in the video above) and scrape remaining paint with whatever tools you have for the job. I recommend plastic putty knives so there is a reduced chance of damaging the wood. (This is what remained after the first application of stripping gel and plastic wrap.)
NOTE: If you'd rather not go straight to scraping with a putty knife, you can repeat these steps and apply the gel and plastic wrap again. My cousin went ahead and applied a second coating of CitruStrip to her banister and stair risers in an effort to remove more paint and it worked.
Once you've scraped all of the paint away, clean up with a stripping sponge and mineral spirits. After everything is dry, you'll then be ready to sand and refinish the way you'd like!
Safely dispose of all rags, plastic wrap, and contaminated items in a safe and appropriate manner, spontaneous combustion does exist.
We hope you found this quick tutorial useful and helpful--that's our goal! If you learned something new from this, or perhaps you've tried this with success, we'd love to hear about it. Please comment with photos or thoughts below. And as always, please share with your friends and family. Thanks!