How To Strip Furniture Easily Using Citristrip

Try Citristrip To Remove Old Paint and Varnish Finishes

I don’t know anyone who enjoys stripping furniture! It is a part of refinishing furniture that most furniture painters dread! But, we all know that some of the great pieces of furniture that you just fall in love will have layers of old gel stain or paint that must be removed. Most people who enjoy furniture makeovers are looking for a super easy way to strip off old paint finishes, so they can get to the fun part of painting their piece! Introducing Citristrip Paint Stripper Gel.

While you can certainly pull out your trusty electric sander and get to work, there is another simple solution. Citristrip can offer an easy solution. Citristrip Paint and Varnish Stripping Gel is a super easy way to strip off old paint and varnish finishes. If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to give it a try! It really is pretty amazing!

Citristrip is an orange paint stripper in gel form that actually smells decent and it is safe to use indoors! No crazy toxic fumes like other paint strippers. And it’s a great option when you don’t want to sand through a bunch of layers and deal with tons of sanding dust!

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How To Use Citristrip – Step By Step

One cool thing I love about Citristrip is the ease of finding it at your local Home Depot! You can also order online from Home Depot here.

Prepare Your Workspace and Project

Using Citristrip can be messy! But in my opinion it’s kind of fun to make a mess given that you have prepared your space well to catch any drips! I love that you can use this paint stripper indoors without worry! You can cover your area under your project with a plastic drop cloth or old newspapers or flattened cardboard box. I used a plastic drop cloth.

Another important tip is to mask off areas of your furniture that you don’t want the stripper to touch with painter’s tape. I had already painted the base of my project and definitely didn’t want it to get messed up. So, I protected that area with a plastic drop-cloth taped off to expose only the area I wanted stripped, which was basically the top of the console table.

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Apply The Citristrip Paint Stripper

Next, you apply the Citristrip to your project. You will want to use an old paintbrush that you won’t mind getting rid of. A super cheap synthetic brush or chip brush will work well. The brush will get really gunky so you’ll want to toss it afterwards. Work the gel into the project with your brush. You’ll want the gel to contact as much of the exposed surface as it can to remove that old finish.

Let The Citristrip Gel Sit And Work Its’ Magic

According to the Citristrip product site, leave the product on at least 30 minutes to give the gel time to activate and do its’ job. You will begin to see a gooey, bubbly substance forming on your project where the gel was applied. You will be able to see the paint or varnish separate from the wood underneath

If you have several layers of paint you can let the gel stay on longer than 30 minutes. You can leave it on as long as it remains wet. You just don’t want the paint stripping gel to dry out before it is removed.

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Next, Begin Scraping Off the Gunk

Now comes the fun part! Use a plastic scraper tool, like a plastic putty knife and scrape away the gunk. You don’t want to dig into your project. Instead just run the flat edge of the scraper tool along like you would an ice scraper on a window. As it glides along it will remove the gunk and paint buildup. This is a fun but messy process! Have some paper towels handy and a bag ready in which to put your trash and all that gooey gunk!

Wipe Clean and Remove Additional Rough Patches

Lastly, after you scrape off all the gunk, you’ll want to clean off residue with odorless mineral spirits. They also make a Citristrip Paint Stripper After Wash. After your project is cleaned allow it ample time to dry. Then you can sand away any remaining rough spots and wipe down to prepare for paint or other new finish.

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Citristrip Makes It So Easy To Strip Off Old Finishes

So there you have it! A super easy, although a bit messy, way to strip off old paint finishes! Citristrip really is easy to use and it is so nice to be able to strip an old finish indoors when needed and without worrying about harmful fumes! If you haven’t given Citristrip a try, check it out! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

If you do, however, choose to sand your furniture take a look at my recent post about sanding furniture: https://simplyrefinished.com/how-to-get-a-smoother-finish-with-chalk-paint/

You will find some basic tips for the beginner chalk painter in this blog post: https://simplyrefinished.com/five-tips-for-a-success-with-your-first-furniture-chalk-paint-project/.

And, for step-by-step help with your first chalk painting project check out: https://simplyrefinished.com/how-to-chalk-paint-furniture-makeovers-made-simple/.

I really appreciate that you checked out my latest blog post! I’d so love to hear what projects you are up to and what I can do to help you be successful with your chalk painting endeavors!

P. S. Subscribe to my list to get updates on tips and tricks for getting fun finishes with chalk paint!