How to remove varnish stripper residue from wood?

Question

Hi

I am in the middle of flipping an old dresser and have used bondall waterbased paint & varnish stripper to remove the first layer of varnish. I have left it on for a few hours and majority of varnish has come off, however I am having trouble removing the stubborn residue the varnish stripper has left.  I have tried scrubbing with TURPs and detergent and water as per instructions. Are there any little tricks of the trade to remove this or am I needing to let the varnish stripper sit for a longer time possibly?

Thank you!

Tam3 · Answer

Thank you Dave & Eric,

I'll give that a go and send an update on progress!

Nailbag · Answer

Hi @Tam3

What you have done is correct, and as @Dave-1 and @EricL mentioned, often requires repeated application but should never be left on longer than the recommended time. In this case 1hr as it will make it more difficult to remove the stripper itself.

One main differences between oils/varnishes and painted timbers is that old soak much deeper in to wood than paint. The softer the wood, the more the oil will soak into it. So, this makes it more involved to remove. Your dresser is made of soft pine, which means the oil has soaked in deeper as seen where there are larger sections of more solid brown. One more application of the stripper will probably get as much of the original oil out as you're going to get without sanding. But thats then going to require a lot of sanding to make the timber look evenly ready. Of course if the dresser is to be painted, then your only concern is to sand it smooth, undercoat and paint with colour. This 2nd application will be the opportunity to not leave it on as long before cleaning it off.

Nailbag

Dave-1 · Answer

Good Evening @Tam3

Bugger 😕 Fixable but bugger. When I was stripping the paint from my front door the instructions said "do not leave the stripper on for too long" as it will then reharden and you will have to restart the process. Front entrance door renovation is the stripping the paint from the door and the paint stripper. I think I did my door in about 6 stages (segmants) so I could apply, remove, reapply and remove down to the timber.

For your issue I would have a go at applying another coat of paint stripper to remove what is left (dont do a huge area, just a small one so you can scraope and remove before it starts drying) After you have done a side, thats when I would wipe it down with the soapy water.

Dave