removing paint stripper

[1930artdeco]

Hi folks,

I had to strip all of the old paint off of a piece of trim. So now I am down to taking off the residue. The bottle of citri strip (the water based citrus stuff) says to use mineral spirits. Will that work on wood or should I use water and let it dry for a few days?

Mike

 

[wasfast]

I'm not a fan of using any liquids on wood after the bulk of the paint has been dissolved. Water does stop the chemical reaction but will cause swelling, grain lifting etc on the wood.

Scrap the bulk off with a dull putty knife, making sure to not gouge the surface with the corners of the knife. I often use single edge razor blades as mini scrapers to get the remainder and then sand as needed. The exact tool to scrape is highly dependent on the shape of what you're working on.

 

[brianh]

Mineral spirits will not raise the grain you should be fine using it, it will be evaporated in a day for re coating. I would use it if any remover is still on you may have adhesion issues with the new paint.