Stripping vs Sanding

[pellegrino]

So I'm refinishing an old crib so that our four month old can have her own place to roam. It's nothing special, just repainting it white. It currently has a cherry stain finish, but that doesn't match the rest of the furniture in the room.

The question is would you strip the current finish with a chemical product and then prime and paint or would you just sand it lightly and then prime and paint?

I've stripped furniture before and repainted it and so I know what I'll get with that. I'm looking to speed things up and stripping it properly takes a long time. I'd love to be able to rough it up and start painting, but I don't want to jeopardize the bond of the new paint.

Thoughts?

[FN Phat]

So I'm refinishing an old crib so that our four month old can have her own place to roam. It's nothing special, just repainting it white. It currently has a cherry stain finish, but that doesn't match the rest of the furniture in the room.

The question is would you strip the current finish with a chemical product and then prime and paint or would you just sand it lightly and then prime and paint?

I've stripped furniture before and repainted it and so I know what I'll get with that. I'm looking to speed things up and stripping it properly takes a long time. I'd love to be able to rough it up and start painting, but I don't want to jeopardize the bond of the new paint.

Thoughts?

I would go with sanding. You will get a good bond with the paint and it will much quicker. A win-win in my book.

[Donuthole]

If I were refinishing a kitchen table, an armoire, a hutch, or some other pice that were going to be prominently displayed in the house, I'd do the full process. For something like a crib that is not really going to be a focal piece, I'd definitely skip the stripping and just sand and paint. Plus, most cribs have a ton of nooks and crannies that would make the stripping process a pain in the arse.

[creekster]

In my mind it depends a bit on how many turn details the crib has and how hard and thick the prior fisnish is. It can be very hard ot sand a highly figured furntiure piece. As a general matter I prefer sanding to chemicals, but it might be easier to just use a stripper to get the old finish off.

[creekster]

If I were refinishing a kitchen table, an armoire, a hutch, or some other pice that were going to be prominently displayed in the house, I'd do the full process. For something like a crib that is not really going to be a focal piece, I'd definitely skip the stripping and just sand and paint. Plus, most cribs have a ton of nooks and crannies that would make the stripping process a pain in the arse.

really? that gel stripping product sits on there and then you can simply wipe it off. OTOH, I am sure that stuff causes cancer in anybody within three miles. But it works great on nooks and crannies.

[Donuthole]

In my mind it depends a bit on how many turn details the crib has and how hard and thick the prior fisnish is. It can be very hard ot sand a highly figured furntiure piece. As a general matter I prefer sanding to chemicals, but it might be easier to just use a stripper to get the old finish off.

In my limited experience, those details are easier to get with a light sand than they are with a chemical and a scraper. That said, you make a great point about the prior finish.

[Donuthole]

really? that gel stripping product sits on there and then you can simply wipe it off. OTOH, I am sure that stuff causes cancer in anybody within three miles. But it works great on nooks and crannies.

I guess maybe there have been advancements in that stuff since I tried it about 8 years ago. When I used it, it still required a fair bit of scraping to get down to the natural wood. Or maybe I didn't leave it on long enough.

[FN Phat]

I guess maybe there have been advancements in that stuff since I tried it about 8 years ago. When I used it, it still required a fair bit of scraping to get down to the natural wood. Or maybe I didn't leave it on long enough.

Probably a little of both.

[jay santos]

This should be in the religion forum.

[pellegrino]

I guess maybe there have been advancements in that stuff since I tried it about 8 years ago. When I used it, it still required a fair bit of scraping to get down to the natural wood. Or maybe I didn't leave it on long enough.

Products have improved. There is one I like, Zip Strip. It works pretty well but you want to do it outside and you want to wear a respirator. I'll be doing some doors once the semester ends. They're pretty straight forward but there is a little bead moulding that might be tough. I'll see about posting some pictures when I do it.

[Shaka]

Homer Formby would be so disappointed in some of you.

[UteStar]

I expected this thread to be a lot hott!er than it turned out to be.

[pellegrino]

I expected this thread to be a lot hott!er than it turned out to be.

not everybody is as sexy as you. To de-sexify this thread even more, I decided to sand instead of stripping. Pictures forthcoming.

[UteStar]

not everybody is as sexy as you.

Good point.

To de-sexify this thread even more, I decided to sand instead of stripping. Pictures forthcoming.

It is still totally hott!