A Tale of Two Strippers
March 1, 2010
So I bought this little dresser many months ago from Craigslist for twenty buckaroos. It was the perfect fit for my mud room niche by the back door. I needed its drawers to store all sorts of family things like those gym membership cards I rarely use, or the computer cords that belong to some contraption lost somewhere in my house.
I also needed it to store winter scarves, hats, mittens and other seasonal items. This dresser’s proportions were perfect and its price was right ! So I brought it home and tolerated its chippy white paint job for many moons until it dawned on me.
This dresser was the perfect candidate for a little experiment I call ‘The Patina Project’. I wanted to transform this little dresser into something with a little more personality and a Provencal feel. I also wanted to find out just how two strippers would match up in the ring. Old school chemicals vs. nouveau citrus paint peelers.
The victim:
There were several layers of paint all over this baby, and I had no idea what kind of paint it was. Since my ultimate plan was to give it a rustic antique French country look, I boldly decided to strip all those layers off. To me, painting over it would have felt like putting on dirty socks after a shower. Or clean socks on muddy feet. Or something sort of like that.
Enter the two contenders. In the left corner, weighing in at 32 fluid ounces was the old school KleanStrip, famous for its speed and paint crushing abilities. Dangerous. Flammable. Unpopular with the greener public for its toxic reputation and the methylene chloride pumping through its veins.
In the right corner, weighing in at 32 fluid ounces, was the young newcomer Citristrip. A kinder smelling non-caustic version missing the methylene chloride, daring to challenge the old school establishment.
Why would I go to all this trouble if I’m just going to glaze/paint it again ? Well, I’m not a big believer in adding layer upon layer of paint to furniture. But don’t quote me on that. In fact, I may have violated that guideline sometime in the past. Or perhaps I might in the future. Oh forget it. In this case I wasn’t comfortable adding yet another layer of paint to this particular dresser since I wanted some parts of the wood to show through. So I stripped.
When engaging in any form of stripping, furniture or otherwise, it’s a good idea to use protection. I highly recommend these.
Safety goggles too.
To the drawers I applied the Citristrip. It was pleasant smelling, squishy, and a strangely attractive color, unlike anything you’d expect in a paint stripper.
Then I let it sit for several hours to do its business undisturbed.
After about four hours, this started to happen.
So I tried this.
Then this.
Lemme guess. Latex paint. Good sign.
For the tougher spots, I used my five-in-one tool to scrape. Underneath was what I was looking for, a nice honey tone wood. More on why later.
To the top and sides of the dresser, I applied the old school KleanStrip. I’ve used this product in the past with great success to remove a thin layer of paint. But this time, I was dealing with multiple layers.
After about 15 minutes, this started to happen.
The five-in-one came in handy again to scrape most of the paint off the top.
Getting in the crevices is not so easy, nor fun. After one application of the KleanStrip, all I accomplished was this.
Then I tried this little stainless steel brush and it helped a lot, but not quite enough.
I got rather frustrated with the Kleanstrip this time around. It dried out rather quickly in comparison, and smelled just awful. Nauseating at times. It also didn’t cling as well to the vertical sides of the dresser in my opinion.* So after I had finished scraping, and the dresser had fully dried, the next day I attacked with even more Citristrip.
Awww yeah.
Many of you are thinking by now, geez louise, that looks like one big messy project. And it was. Those of you who have stripped paint before know this is not any fun by any definition. It requires plenty of care for proper disposal of the paint scrapings and stripper residue. Not only that, stripping paint is extremely labor intensive – this project took at least five hours just to scrape off all these layers of paint.
After it was completely stripped, I took to my sander to give the dresser a smooth-as-a-baby’s bottom finish and prep it for its new paint job.
Now before all of you wood lovers go crazy on me, note that in several spots there was damage uncovered underneath all this paint, despite my gentle bedside manner.
So I have no regrets deciding to paint it again. I just filled all the holes with paintable wood filler, then sanded the putty down after it was dry.
Conclusion: after these two strippers duked it out on the same layers of paint, I have to vote Citristrip for all my future uses, even though it takes a lot longer to work (up to 24 hours).
Bottom line, I’m channeling Scarlett O’Hara, and raising my fist to the air . . . “If I have to lie, steal, cheat, or kill . . . As God as my witness . . . I’ll never use KleanStrip again !”
Cue Tara’s Theme and sunset backdrop.
Perhaps I’m being a little dramatic. In somber conclusion, no more methylene chloride for me.
Now for Step Two of my ‘Patina Project’. I’m out to make this dresser look like a less rustic version of this:
Wish me luck . . . the saga continues.
*Necessary disclaimer to CMA: This is NOT a paid endorsement of Citristrip. This is simply my humble but sometimes loudmouth opinion of a comparison of these two products in these circumstances. Please don’t sue me, I have no money anyway. Follow all manufacturer guidelines when using either of these products for your safety. It’s also a brilliant idea to test for lead paint and follow all precautions in its removal. Lead very bad. And for further information, or a cure for your insomnia, please refer to my blog policies.
Tags: stripper
That is an adorable dresser. I want it! And I’m totally excited to see what you do with it :)
For a west coast girl, you do a great Scarlet O impression! Thanks for doing this for us…I hate stripping using that chemical stuff so I’ll give the Citristrip a try. And can’t wait to see the finished product!
Ooh, I can’t wait to see how your dresser turns out. I love how you’ve documented each step so far!
wow that does seem messy, but thanks for finding out which works better! I’m looking forward to the results :D
thank you thank you thank you for posting this! i am just about to strip an old farm table i have to refinish in a rustic feel as well. i have used zip-strip and refinisher before and though they work i can feel the insides of my nose burning and i know that is not a good sign. i am going to try the citrus one as well. thanks for doing the test work for me so i know it will work! and my table has no lead- i bought a lead test. woo-hoo!
thanks for the product comparision. I will feel better using the Citristrip now.
I am totally a fan of the Citristrip stuff too. I did my kitchen table, in place, and everyone tolerated it fine. Love the stuff.
I’ve never tried Citristrip before, but I’m going to look for it the next time I have to strip any furniture. Can’t wait to see the after picture!
I am so grateful for your info…is someone paying you for this or are you normally so generous with your time & effort???!! YOU”RE THE BEST!!!
Wish I had tried Citristrip a few years ago. I had a great armoire, and it was so tough to strip…the table that is. :) I can’t wait to see the end result!
Julie
Great post! You crack me up. I am a Scarlett girl through and through so I truly appreciated her interjection on the matter.
(It’s my favorite movie of all time.)
Anyway, great stripping info. My husband will appreciate it. :)
Can’t wait to see the final product.
Toodles!
Your post title is a hoot! Whew, what a job! I have to work on being more patient with my furniture projects. Yours always turn out beautifully!
Thanks for doing this! Once the weather breaks, I want to strip & repaint EVERYTHING :)
I just had flashbacks of stripping a table with a thousand crevices, though-so nothing with crevices ;)
You are brave and I am in awe…..but more impressively, girl, you can write. I also appreciate your correct word usage/spelling. My pet peeve is when one uses “there” for “their”, “your” for “you’re”, etc. So much to my delight when I read “its drawers to store…”, “its chippy white paint job…” You’d be amaze how many awful blog writers are out there! So thank you…you rock!
P.S. I appreciate all the creativity, too:)
I can see why you bought this wonderful little dresser. I have tackled many a paint project and agree with the idea of taking the paint off before adding more on top. Looking forward to seeing it all finished.
What a great post! I love your humor and it makes reading through your posts that much more enjoyable. Such good info for my future endeavors too. Thanks!
I can’t wait to see you work your magic on the dresser. I recently used a water based stripper I got at Wal Mart (can’t think of the name) that worked wonders on a sideboard I recently stripped and painted. I highly recommend it.
Hurry up so we can see the dresser!
Judy
wow, I am so glad to see this post…I bought some of the citristrip because I was hoping to strip and refinish my piano. I tested a small inconspicuous area…but I did not have great results. paint, I’m sure is different than varnish. Maybe I’ll give it another go…that is when I have about 200 hours of spare time! :)
Who knew paint stripping could be so entertaining! Cute post!
Really good to know about Citristrip, and yet again, I’m uber jealous of your TWENTY DOLLAR thrift store find! The details on that beauty, I’m practically crying over here!! I’m on the hunt for a dresser like that for the bedroom… no luck yet.
yeay citristrip!! can i just say i am smitten? i love how it look going on – so fun, like an adult version of Gak. and then that sheet of latex pulling off? that could get addicting!
stripping is a dirty business, but someone’s gotta do it! : )
your hard work will certainly be worth it when you finish- you’d pay tons of money for that look from a store. and this way you get the fun of making it EXACTLY what you want!
happy painting!
rachel
OH that brings back bad memories of stripping the antique desk. I can’t tell you how many endless hours were spent stripping the layers and layers but so worth it! Can’t wait to see your finished product!
thanks for the info and LOVE LOVE LOVE the title!
I wish I knew about this before. I tried to strip paint of a table I had and I hated the whole operation I ended up junking the table- right to the trash.
What a mess, but I am certain it will be worth it!! Janell
Thanks for the comparison. I usually use KleanStrip but I want to try the other kind now too. I think it’ll look really cool when you’re done. I can’t wait to see it.
Thanks so much for introducing me to the kinder, gentler stripper! (Oh oh, will I start getting even more spam now that I typed the word, “stripper”??) Great to know that there are products out there that take paint layers off of your dresser without taking years off of your life!!
PS- I meant to type, “Uh oh.” Not “Oh oh”. This is going downhill fast :)
so glad you made the comparison on one piece of furniture. I have so often stood in the paint aisle and debated on which products to buy/try. I am usualy into instant gratification, but for all the right reasons, I would be willing to wait (even 24 hours) for a great result.
Anxious to see the end result in this little beauty!
love your blog!
gail
Ooh, I just love the dresser – and how I love awesome Craig’s List finds! Thanks for using it as the guinea pig to compare strippers. Good to know that the kinder, safer stripper won out. Shouldn’t it always be that way?
looks like it was coming off really well. Amazing. Can’t wait to see the finished product.
that’s just awesome! i cannnnot wait to see the outcome. i have a dresser that i would LOVE LOVE to do this to but i’m a total chicken and big projects using stripper stuff make me scared. ugh. i need confidence. thank you for this boost!!!
I am so happy you posted this! I have an entire bedroom set to refinish and both types are sitting in my basement to try. I was planning on doing a “test” to figure out which one to use and now you saved me the trouble. Thanks!
That will look great! Unfortunately, after reading about your labors, I can understand why furniture gets painted over and over and over again. Good to know what you found about the strippers though. If I ever tackle a project that needs it, I’d hate to use the one that you had a problem with on the sides, in addition to the smell. I’d definitely go with the other.
It’s gonna be great! Can’t wait to see it!
So funny, I am getting ready to show a post about this very stripper…citistrip…I love it! I redid some shutters for my kitchen and was so impressed at how well it did. I loved that it wasn’t too strong and safer than other strippers. Great job and loved the title! lol
Hugs,
Victoria
I tried a similar product to the Citristrip a while back and liked it — mine said it would work within minutes and it didn’t…but with some patience it did well. :) This is a beautiful dresser!
Oh, seeing the picture of the goopy mess after trying KleanStrip brought back so many memories of trying to strip paint from the baseboards & stair railings in my house! Good to know there’s a better option! Hopefully one involving less swearing & throwing of tools! :)
Wow, I am sold!! This is certainly the way to go!! Citristrip!!
Karena
Art by Karena
What a great post Kate! Count me as another fan who is grateful to you for doing this comparison test. I have a project I’ve been waiting to do, it involves stripping – now, I can jump in and do it with confidence!
Looking forward to seeing the new and improved dresser.
I used Citristrip a few years ago and loved it. I can’t wait until I see your finished dresser.
I hate paint strippers. Ugh, the horror stories! I am glad you found one you like (if I’m brave enough, I’ll follow your lead!).
When we first bought our house we started sanding the trim to prep for paint and it was chipping off so I (a completely inexperienced DIYer) decided “Hey, lets put paint stripper on ALL the door jambs” while my boyfriend was at work. I literally found myself crying in an unfinished closet that day. WORST IDEA EVER: listen people: NEVER ever get the hair-brained idea to put it on your door jambs. Especially not the cheap stuff haha, but lesson learned! Now I wish I had pictures to document my stupidity!
Count me as another person looking forward to seeing the results.
I have been a KleanStrip girl all along because I knew it worked (for the most part) and was nervous about the non-chemical, citrius smelling stripper. I was excited to see this show up in my Google Reader this morning, and on my next stripping job I am going to use the CitriStrip! I just need to research if it can strip stained wood or not also to clean up some old dressers I have.
Thanks for the review!!
Your title had me smiling. :) I am so curious to see what sort of search engine hits this brings. ;)
I know you’ll be rewarded for your hard work with a beautiful piece. I’ve never stripped (paint) before. ;) Can’t believe it took so many steps to get all that paint off! Good luck with the next step. :)
Awesome! I’m glad to hear the more “natural” paint stripper worked so well (even though it took longer) Can’t wait to see what the finished dresser looks like. :-)
Tee hee, I like this post. :) Informative and oh so funny.
Love it!! Never thought i’ld enjoy a post on strippers lol looking forward to the finished product!
oooh I can’t wait to see the end result.