How To Remove A Whitewash Finish
Regina asks, “I have an oak entertainment center. Its original finish was white wash. I would like to refinish it to match the golden oak color of my kitchen cabinets (as closely as possible). I’m using MinWax golden oak stain, but even after 2 applications, it still looks almost whitewash. Is there a pretreatment I should do?”
Hi Regina - Did you first strip the whitewash stain from the entertainment center? Applying the golden oak stain over the white wash stain will not give you the result you are looking for.
Satin, by its nature penetrates into the wood fibers which makes it a bit more difficult to strip off but not impossible.
I prefer Strypeeze and KleenKut strippers. A Liquid stripper works well for flat surfaces. However, it does not work well on vertical surfaces. Be sure to get the semi-paste as it will be more likely to stick on the sides. Apply the stripper and let it do its work. The worst thing people do is not follow the manufacturer’s directions and mess with the stripper instead of letting it do its work for you. The stripper will remove as much of the stain as is possible.
You will need to use a plastic stripping brush to get all of the stain out of the wood’s grain. It will take a couple of applications of stripper to remove all of the whitewash stain and finish.
Once you are finished with stripping the entertainment center let the wood ‘dry out’ for at least a week. This is because it will take a while for the stripper chemicals to completely evaporate and leave the wood.
After a week or so, apply the new stain and varnish.
A Word On Safety
When working with chemical strippers, you need to read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions and wear safety gear. Ladies, if you are pregnant, might be pregnant or trying to get pregnant, don’t use any paint strippers during your pregnancy. These chemicals are not good for your growing baby. Let your husband deal with this mess.
1. Wear a good set of chemical resistant gloves to protect your hands from the chemicals. Don’t use household latex gloves. They will not protect your hands. They will fail you.
2. Work outdoors or at least in the garage with the garage door and side door open with a fan running blowing fresh air into the work space. This is especially true of methyl chloride based strippers because the volatile organic compounds are pretty nasty and will significant health risks.
3. Wear eye protection.
4. I would use a good quality chemical respirator while working with the stripper.
What to do with the sludge?
Once you are done stripping the old finish off you will have a collection of sludge of the old finish. What do you do with it? Check with your local city’s solid waste disposal and find out what the regulations are for properly disposing of this waste.
If you live outside of town or city, don’t just dump this stuff on the ground. Dispose of the waste properly.
