How to Use Chemical Stripper on Curly Wrought Iron Furniture

Getting ready

• 1

  Put on protective clothing: a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and sturdy shoes.

• 2

  Cover the work area with a drop cloth or several layers of newspaper. Place a bottle of clean water nearby.

• 3

  Arrange the brushes and bucket of water for accessibility.

Removing old paint

• 4

  Put on the rubber gloves and eye protection. Pour about a cup of the stripper into a small bucket. Turn the furniture upside down so you can access it. Starting in hard-to-reach places, brush a thick coat of stripper onto the furniture.

• 5

  Let the stripper work for five to ten minutes. The old paint will start to bubble up.

• 6

  Using the scrub brush, rub briskly to remove paint. Some will come off easily; parts will still adhere to the furniture. Rinse the brush in the bucket of water and repeat.

• 7

  Choose brushes according to the space you are working in. A diagonal-cut brush is excellent for getting into the narrow places in curly designs, like flowers and leaves.

• 8

  On large pieces of furniture, apply stripper to two separate areas so you can scrape one while the stripper is working on the other.

• 9

  Rinse repeatedly to remove traces of stripper. Change the rinse water frequently.

• 10

  When all the paint has been removed, use a clean sponge to rinse the entire piece.

• 11

  Allow to dry thoroughly before applying primer.