Chemical stripping is the best method for stripping carved wood with hard-to-reach, intricate areas, but in reality, you will probably use a combination of mechanical and chemical methods for your project, especially if you have layer-upon-layer of old paint to take off. Chemical paint removers deliver the best results, remove varnishes and paints faster than sanding, and tend to be the least harsh.Bear in mind, also, that a hot air gun can only be used as a paint remover, not a varnish remover as varnishes tend to go very gooey, almost glue-like, when heated. Scorching is less important, of course, when you’re planning to re-paint the wood. An electric hot air gun removes paint in no time but can scorch the wood if you’re not careful.There’s plenty of good advice online about sanding wood to perfection, and some excellent guidance here on the Period Property website.

Whether you’re sanding by hand or with a machine, experts recommend you take it slow and easy until you get a feel for it. Power tools help because their design forces you to apply even pressure. A quick word about sandpaper and wire wool, both of which can cause damage to wood unless you take it easy… When you sand wood you take the surface off, and you need to do it as evenly as possible without rubbing it thin in places or creating gouges.

Sanding is best kept for small projects unless you want to hire an industrial sander to remove paint and varnish from your floor.

There are three ways of removing paint from wood: sanding, using a hot air gun and chemical paint strippers.

Exterior and interior doors and door frames.

You can strip any kind of wood, even heavily-carved wood, as long as you use the right products and materials and follow the instructions meticulously, particularly if you want to strip something expensive, rare or precious. Much better than the bad old days when your only choice was pure caustic soda, nasty stuff! What kinds of wood can you strip? Thankfully contemporary stripping products are relatively simple, effective and safe to use.

Whatever you want to do, first you’ll need to get all of that rubbish off the surface to reveal the stunning wood beneath.

You may have found a fabulous piece of old furniture smothered with nasty, brown, shiny varnish that’s begging for some TLC, or you might suspect there’s something really special under all those layers of ancient paint on your doors. You might be the lucky owner of a lovely period home, or have an old wood floor that you’re sure will come up beautifully with a bit of work. Fast and effective removal of paint using a paint stripper and scraper Removing paint from wood

Paint run removal tool