Stripping wood furniture is not a fun job, but this process makes it so easy! I am showing you how to strip furniture without stripper!
I have done so many furniture projects and DIY projects throughout the years and there are definitely projects I love to do and some I never look forward to. Stripping furniture is one of the “never look forward to” projects. I don’t like it at all. It is messy. And, it is time-consuming. Stripping furniture is A LOT of work. None of that is fun so I won’t pick up pieces that need it.
Until now.
This “new-to-me” process may have changed my mind completely. I am going to share how to strip furniture without stripper.
I picked up this mirror at a thrift store many months ago. It was the only piece I had to try this technique on. The process that I am going to talk about today has been done by many people. So much so, that I started getting requests to try it from my Instagram audience. They wanted me to be the guinea pig and see if this process actually worked. I was happy to try this new technique and give my honest opinion.
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Supplies Used To Strip Furniture Without Stripper:
Water
I went to Walmart and bought the generic oven cleaner and the Easy-Off oven cleaner because I wanted to try them both on the frame of the mirror and see if they worked the same.
The Oven-Cleaner Stripping Process
I started the project by covering up the mirror.
Then, I sprayed the wood frame with the oven cleaner. I sprayed the generic on one side and the Easy-Off on the other side to get a comparison.
The photo above is what it looked like after I sprayed. I noticed the only difference between the generic and the Easy-Off was that the generic didn’t foam as much.
I let the cleaner sit on the wood for about an hour and then came back to scrub it.
I used a scrub brush that I picked up from Walmart and it worked fine, but I linked better brushes up above under the supply list. The first time I saw this process done was by Shannan from Tea House Designs. When she saw that I was trying it out, we were messaging back and forth about it. She has done it so many times that she has found the brushes linked above are the best. Shannan will never use anything other than those brushes. She has tried almost everything and does this a lot, so I took her advice and ordered the brushes (which is the set I buy for my kitchen anyway).
The brush I got from Walmart did a good job. Make sure you wear old clothes. The stain and oven cleaner does splatter a lot.
This is what it will look like as the stain is coming off. It looks like the wood is splintering, but that is the stain/finish coming off.
Once I had scrubbed all the wood, I sprayed it down with water and all of that stain debris came off.
How To Get The Oven Cleaner Off
Yep! Just turned on the hose and sprayed the wood with water to rinse the oven cleaner and the stain off. At this point, the tape started coming off, so I did my next layer of oven cleaner with the mirror uncovered. It didn’t hurt the mirror at all. If you would feel more comfortable using a rag and a bucket with water, you can do that too. The hose worked fine. Water won’t hurt wood unless you leave it soaked forever. It will hurt veneered pieces though so keep that in mind. After I rinsed it all off, I let it dry for about twenty minutes before applying one last layer of the oven cleaner.
I let this layer of the oven cleaner sit for longer than the first layer because my dad stopped over to visit. When I came out to walk him to the car, this is what the frame looked like!!!! I couldn’t believe it! I had not scrubbed it again. It is like it did all the work while I was visiting with my dad. I did use my brush again to scrub off anything that may have been on there and then rinsed it all off with the hose again.
I let it sit overnight to fully dry.
The next morning, it looked amazing! I did give the wood a light sanding with fine sandpaper (320 grit) to just smooth it out. It wasn’t full of splinters. I was basically wiping off any leftover residue from the oven cleaner. The sanding took all of two minutes.
I used our small blower to blow off the sanding dust.
Then, I brought it inside and cleaned the mirror with vinegar and water to get all the oven cleaner off of it.
Look at it now!!!
The Best Part Of Oven Cleaner Stripper
What I love most about this process is that the oven cleaner can get into the crevices where the regular stripper gets stuck and clogged and it is hard to get out. The oven cleaner gets down into the crevices and does all the work and all you have to do is rinse it all out and the crevises are stripped!
When I saw the finished mirror, I thought that it totally had a new vibe. It looked like a boho-chic mirror now.
The details really stand out now.
I have to say, I am amazed. This worked so well. Not knowing what to expect, I did learn a lot throughout the process and there is not much I would do differently.
Now that I know how to strip furniture without stripper, I am so excited to try it again.
I wanted to share some of the questions I got while I was doing this project in my stories on Instagram.
Q & A About Stripping Furniture With Oven Cleaner
Could you use steel wool?
I would think that would work great. I did talk with Shannan like I mentioned above and she said she will never use anything other than the brushes I linked above. She has tried everything else and has found those brushes to work the best.
Can you just wipe it off – worried about the water?
Water won’t hurt the wood if you aren’t submerging the piece in water for long periods of time. You definitely want to make sure and let the piece dry after you rinse it. You could use a bucket, water, and a rag for sure. Might take longer, but it is worth a shot!
What brush should I get to use in the process?
I would recommend the brushes I link above in the supply list.
Should I seal it?
It depends on what you want it to look like. Do you like the raw wood look? If not, you could definitely seal it with a topcoat, salve, or wax. The sealant will change the color a bit so just be aware of that.
Did you really just spray it with the hose?
Yep!
Was there a difference between the generic and the original Easy-Off?
The only difference I saw on this project was that the generic didn’t foam as much. Other than that, they performed the same way. I will buy the generic when I need more.
Did the oven cleaner ruin the glass on the mirror?
My mom was worried about that too, but it did not. I even left the oven cleaner on the mirror overnight as the frame dried.
Did you have shards of wood in the end? Splinters?
Nope.
Does Oven Cleaner Strip Paint Off Wood?
Can you use it on painted pieces? Chalk paint?
Shannan told me that she has had success with painted pieces, but chalk paint is very hard to get off. Given these points, I am excited to find a painted piece to try it on after she told me that.
Would this work on real oak that has an orange tint?
I would definitely try it!
If you have any other questions, let me know.
After seeing how to strip furniture without stripper, is it something you want to try?
Do You Want To Make Money Flipping Furniture?
After twenty years of doing this, I am still picking up pieces when I can find them, but I am spending most of my time coaching other furniture flippers on how to make more money in their business. If you are someone who is looking to start and/or grow a furniture flipping business, I would love to help you. There are ways to make money in your business that don’t even include painting a piece of furniture. Once I learned that my business flourished. Don’t waste your time trying to figure it out on your own.
I have created a furniture flipping course. This course goes over everything from finding the right pieces, to the makeover process, and selling. I also included the other ways you can make money with your flipping business in the course. I included everything I wish a course had when I was starting out and trying to grow. You can find more information about the course HERE.
I also have a community for furniture flippers where I offer one-on-one monthly coaching for the business. If you are ready to take your business to the next level, that would be a great fit for you. You can find more information about that HERE.
Let’s get your business started and/or moving in the right direction. If your business is stagnant, there is a reason for that. Let me help you grow it into a flipping career that is profitable and fits the lifestyle you want to live.
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If you liked this post, you will also love these tips:
How To Tell If A Piece Of Furniture Is Real Wood
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Brush Strokes: 3 Tips For Getting Rid Of Them
Oven cleaner is strong stuff. It can burn your skin and damage your lungs. Do you take any precautions like wearing gloves? Do you avoid breathing the fumes?
yep
Hi, I damaged my glasses (spectacles) when a spot of oven spray touched them, so I would wear protective goggles and leave my glasses far away!
It was a costly error.
Great tip!
Will this work on a plywood vanity or just solid wood pieces? Thanks!
I have only used it on real wood.
Could I use this to strip patio furniture?
Without seeing the furniture, it is hard to say. I am going to be trying it on a lot of things once the weather gets nicer.
You mentioned not to use on vinyl (like on the end of stained cabinets). I want to get this orange oak stain off of my oak cabinets and stain darker (not paint), but the ends are builder grade wood vinyl which only shows on three areas. Any ideas to change the color of of vinyl wood???
Without seeing the cabinets, it is hard to say. https://learn.mycreativedays.com/offers/UgFrMvSf
Hi I’m stripping a painted table it’s been painted with Sherwin willams emerald furniture paint do you think the oven cleaner would work on this type of paint?
I’ve tried sanding but it takes a long time.
Thanks
Sandra
You could definitely try it on a small spot and see how it does.
Try it in a small area. I am testing out some other strippers too that I will be sharing soon on my YouTube channel.
Your outcome is beautiful, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. My MIL showed me this technique about 30 years ago and my brother in law (who built cabinets and did other woodworking) almost had a heart attack. His reaction has always stuck with me. lol
We’re thinking of doing this with our dining table but it has a clear coat on top. Hubby says we can’t sand it because the heat will turn that clear coat like glue. You think the cleaner would help get that clear off as well?
Try it in a little area and see what it does. You could use a tougher stripper like Citrus stripper too.
Amazing! I’ve watched about 10 of these and yours is my fave. Giving me courage to do it! You said you learned a lot and would do things differently? Would love to know what? I’m doing a large long dresser. It’s like a long tallboy about 4 feet high. How many cans do you think? And would you leave it on a lot longer next time? Thanks so much!
I shared what I would do in the post. Every piece will be different so I would say just get one can and see how the piece takes it and go from there.
Wow!! The mirror looks amazing!! I really love it, so beautiful. I love seeing older pieces get restored. You’ve inspired me to try the oven cleaner stripping
Thank you!!
your welcome!
Discovered this by accident couple years back. Oh my such a time and $ saver (Walmart brand cheapest I have found). Since then I’ve used in soooo many things. It’s a degreaser so handy in kitchen (yes on stainless steel too). I use sparingly as I loaded up on painted surface and paint slipped off so yes can remove paint. I use oven cleaner for so many things but cleaning the oven, just the racks
What I saw on Amazon was a small, round dish brush made of bamboo. Is that the one you used?
Yep!
Beautiful! Thx for sharing. I’m going to try it on my oak kitchen table!
YAY! Good luck with the project!
What would happen if there is a piece of vaneer on top? I have a solid piece of wood but I feel like there may be some vaneer on the very top.
If it is made out of real wood, the veneer will be wood too so it should work. Sometimes the layer of veneer can be affected by the water more than the cleaner.
did you seal the mirror with anything after you took off the old stain? it’s gorgeous and the perfect color for what I’m looking for!!
I didn’t but you definitely could.
Do you think I could use this technique on orangey/blonde oak trim through out my house? And if so, what would you recommend me doing on the back end, is stain Ok? And top coat?
You could definitely try it. All wood will be different. You can stain it and topcoat in the end.
Remember the 70’s big bulky ornate dressers? I have no idea what the doors on this furniture it made of , but I wonder I’d oven cleaner would work on them. I have 2 tall dressers and I’m really want to tackle them but the amount of sanding just puts them on hold all the time. Suggestions ??
Every piece is different and without seeing it in person it is hard to tell. I would try it in a little area and see what it does.
I love this post, the process and the outcome! Wow! I cant say im surprised tho as oven cleaner works quickly and effectively to dissolve lots of ‘crud’. I used it once to strip layers of mop n glow and floor wax off old linoleum. It worked like a charm and brought back fresh life to the linoleum. Ive sprayed it on dingy white formica countertops and wiped off all the yellowed dingy, revealing white white formica. Both projects were spray it on, wait 10 minutes & wipe it off. Its amazing. Now, i will try it on a piece of furniture for stripping. Thanks for expanding ideas with plain ‘ol oven cleaner.
Great tips you have shared here too! Never would have thought to use it on those things!
It does work beautifully. I neutralize the acid with vinegar water. Then I remove the gunk with the pressure attachment on my water hose. Usually no scrubbing needed.
Thank you for sharing these tips!
This came out beautifully! Thank you for mentioning the part about the crevices. I used that gel orange stripper with a bedframe with tons of detailing and I still have little pieces that have dried chunks of stripper in it. I ended up letting it sit for so long because it was too big of a project I realized later…but then was able to get most of it off with a power washer. The oven cleaner would have been great for the fine details of the frame. Thank you!
you’re welcome!
I restore old furniture but have never heard of using oven cleaner. I’m going to give this a try on a rocking chair I’m restoring. 3 coats of paint and one coat of stain on it currently. This is great information. I’d love to “pick your brain” on other pieces I work on occasionally.
Thank you.