Furniture Rehab: Stripping Wood Stool Legs
lepapillonvert asked me to share this over here (originally from my blog) since it might help out some DIYers in this neck of the woods.
I recently found this mid-century stool at an estate sale and my husband finagled it down to $5. We of course took it home and I have set out to peel away the layers of grime and dated finishes to make it lovely again.
The first step was stripping the legs and re-finishing them. I've never stripped wood before but figured this project was the perfect size to give it a try. Here is what I did.
Here is a close up of the legs before. They were pretty beat up and had a heavy coat of old varnish on them.
I started by removing the little brass feet caps and setting those aside. There are little screws that stick out of the bottom to secure it to the top so in order to get them to stand up while I worked on them I flipped over some terra cotta pots and set the legs on the bottom (using the drainage hole to set them flat).
As advised by others, I decided to give Citristrip a try. It can be found at Home Depot or Lowes near the paint thinners. It’s a little less harsh than traditional stripping solutions and smells kind of like orange juice.
Make sure you wear rubber gloves if you decide to try this yourself. While Citristrip is more gentle, it will burn your skin. I used a cheap-o paint brush to brush a nice, thick layer on to the legs.
The bottle says to leave the goop on the surface for 30 minutes to 24 hours. The existing finish wasn’t very heavy so I went with an hour (I also am limited on space and had to work on out porch so 24 hours isn’t an option). You could really see the gel working and the finish loosening the finish.
I tested a little section and when I saw it was ready to go I held it over a trash can and went to town. I used a curved scraping tool and scrapped off the finish as much as I possibly could. It was still hard on the round legs, even with the curved tool, but if you don’t get it all off, it’s ok. There are still two more steps.
Here is what the legs looked like after the were scraped and wiped off.
This is the legs after the next two steps. First I took a rag and washed the legs in Klean-Strip after wash. That will get the remaining stripping residue off of the wood. After they were nice and dry I sanded them with a fine grain sandpaper to get any remaining varnish I missed off and smooth out some of the imperfections and nicks. I didn’t want them to be perfect, I like a little natural wear and tear.
After sanding I wiped them down to remove dust. Then it was time to stain. This is my favorite part. It’s quick and instantly gratifying. I wanted a nice dark finish so I went with Dark Walnut from Minwax. I just used the rag application and wiped the legs down evenly. I didn’t worry about the ends since they will be covered with the feet caps. Speaking of the feet caps…
The original finish was unfortunately beyond saving. It’s hard to tell in this picture was the finish was uneven and in some cases flaking off. I use Bar Keepers Friend to scrub them down and discoved a nice industrial silver finish underneath. It was rough, but clean.
Once the stain and sealer was dry I popped the feet caps back on and tapped the tack in the bottom.
I LOVE the way they turned out. They are still vintage and rustic but much cleaner and will mesh better with our current furniture. I think the color is beautiful. Not immensely different than before, but much richer, a little darker and not as dated.
I have found that this process if addicting. I’ve already done another piece of furniture, a sewing table I purchased awhile back. Photos soon, as soon as I wax it.
Products I used:
-Citristrip
-Klean-Strip after wash
-Dark Walnut from Minwax
-Bar Keepers Friend
(Note: I don't claim to be an expert. I am a total DIYer and learning as I go. I am ALWAYS open to tips and tricks.)
Next up I'm working on the upholstery and sewing piping into the upholstery for the first time. O_O It LOOKS fairly simple in videos but I'm still nervous about it.
For more updates on the stool project and other projects you can always check out my blog. I have a few more mid-century items waiting in the wings and some other pieces in different states of finishing.
I recently found this mid-century stool at an estate sale and my husband finagled it down to $5. We of course took it home and I have set out to peel away the layers of grime and dated finishes to make it lovely again.
The first step was stripping the legs and re-finishing them. I've never stripped wood before but figured this project was the perfect size to give it a try. Here is what I did.
Here is a close up of the legs before. They were pretty beat up and had a heavy coat of old varnish on them.
I started by removing the little brass feet caps and setting those aside. There are little screws that stick out of the bottom to secure it to the top so in order to get them to stand up while I worked on them I flipped over some terra cotta pots and set the legs on the bottom (using the drainage hole to set them flat).
As advised by others, I decided to give Citristrip a try. It can be found at Home Depot or Lowes near the paint thinners. It’s a little less harsh than traditional stripping solutions and smells kind of like orange juice.
Make sure you wear rubber gloves if you decide to try this yourself. While Citristrip is more gentle, it will burn your skin. I used a cheap-o paint brush to brush a nice, thick layer on to the legs.
The bottle says to leave the goop on the surface for 30 minutes to 24 hours. The existing finish wasn’t very heavy so I went with an hour (I also am limited on space and had to work on out porch so 24 hours isn’t an option). You could really see the gel working and the finish loosening the finish.
I tested a little section and when I saw it was ready to go I held it over a trash can and went to town. I used a curved scraping tool and scrapped off the finish as much as I possibly could. It was still hard on the round legs, even with the curved tool, but if you don’t get it all off, it’s ok. There are still two more steps.
Here is what the legs looked like after the were scraped and wiped off.
This is the legs after the next two steps. First I took a rag and washed the legs in Klean-Strip after wash. That will get the remaining stripping residue off of the wood. After they were nice and dry I sanded them with a fine grain sandpaper to get any remaining varnish I missed off and smooth out some of the imperfections and nicks. I didn’t want them to be perfect, I like a little natural wear and tear.
After sanding I wiped them down to remove dust. Then it was time to stain. This is my favorite part. It’s quick and instantly gratifying. I wanted a nice dark finish so I went with Dark Walnut from Minwax. I just used the rag application and wiped the legs down evenly. I didn’t worry about the ends since they will be covered with the feet caps. Speaking of the feet caps…
The original finish was unfortunately beyond saving. It’s hard to tell in this picture was the finish was uneven and in some cases flaking off. I use Bar Keepers Friend to scrub them down and discoved a nice industrial silver finish underneath. It was rough, but clean.
Once the stain and sealer was dry I popped the feet caps back on and tapped the tack in the bottom.
I LOVE the way they turned out. They are still vintage and rustic but much cleaner and will mesh better with our current furniture. I think the color is beautiful. Not immensely different than before, but much richer, a little darker and not as dated.
I have found that this process if addicting. I’ve already done another piece of furniture, a sewing table I purchased awhile back. Photos soon, as soon as I wax it.
Products I used:
-Citristrip
-Klean-Strip after wash
-Dark Walnut from Minwax
-Bar Keepers Friend
(Note: I don't claim to be an expert. I am a total DIYer and learning as I go. I am ALWAYS open to tips and tricks.)
Next up I'm working on the upholstery and sewing piping into the upholstery for the first time. O_O It LOOKS fairly simple in videos but I'm still nervous about it.
For more updates on the stool project and other projects you can always check out my blog. I have a few more mid-century items waiting in the wings and some other pieces in different states of finishing.