Furniture Stripping Made Easy - Citristrip

I remember when I used to strip furniture with strong chemical strippers that made it hard to breath.  This week I tried Citri-Strip (a biodegradable earth friendly product that smells like oranges and is safe for indoor use.  I was completely shocked at how well it worked!!!

I put a blob of the stripper in the middle of the table and spread an even layer over the entire top of the table.

After I had completely covered the top of the table, I let it sit for an hour and then returned.

After letting Citri-Strip sit for one hour, this is what I found (picture below).  The paint and other finishes underneath were all bubbled up.  It looked ready to strip so I gave it a go.

Using a flat scraper, the paint and under layers of varnish and stain came up like butter.  It didn't even feel like work.  It took just a few minutes to get all of the paint off the top of the table.

I was surprised to find fancy inlaid wood details on the table top.  I guess you never know whats underneath until you look!

I only have a flat scraper so I've stripped the tops of both of the tables.  I've ordered a Multi-Purpose Scraper Tool so I can easily get the paint out of all of the details in the legs.  The tool should make it easy to strip the rest of the paint off of these beauties.

I'm not exactly sure how I will be finishing these end tables yet.  I picked them up at my local flea market awhile back for only $20 for the pair.  The paint job on them had drips everywhere and a nasty shiny clear coat over the paint.  I had to strip them and give them a fresh start.  After I'm done stripping them I will decide what to do with them next.  I will share them as they progress :)

Until next time,
Happy decorating!