Now that Summer is nearing an end and things are winding down, I have been looking at projects that I had been meaning to do but never got around to doing them. One such project was refinishing a half-moon table that was given to me. It will be perfect for our family room.
Originally, I was going to paint the piece but when I turned it over, I saw real wood. We already have a few painted pieces in the family room and having a wood piece would be nice. So, I decided to uncover the wood using a stripper we already had in the house. I started working on the top, but it was messy and stinky and taking way too long. We tried sanding it but again for such a small table I felt a lot of work was being put into it and there were other things I could be doing.
I stepped away from the project at this point to decide if I wanted to continue or move on to something less frustrating. While I was contemplating, I remembered seeing a video recently about using Easy Off oven spray to strip and bleach furniture. In the video it seemed to work well so I thought what can I lose. I went to the store purchased Easy Off oven spray and used it on my half-moon table.
Let’s see what happened!
This is the half-moon table and what I found underneath.
I have used Klean Strip before on tough projects, but it usually needs more than one application, and it has a strong odor.
First application.
After removing the paint, I sprayed it again to start on the varnish and gunk.
Even with the second application there was still a lot of varnish left. I was three hours in, and frustration was setting in.
Even after sanding for a half hour (my husband jumped in for me, my allergies were bad that day) you can see the stain embedded in the wood. This is where I stopped to plan my next move.
It said fume free, but I still used a mask.
I sprayed a thick layer of Easy Off on the piece and let it sit for twenty minutes.
When the time was up, I used steel wool and a wire brush to remove the paint and varnish then rinsed the residue off with the hose.
I did do another coat in some areas where the varnish was thicker.
After rinsing off the residue from the second application I let it dry in the sun.
Then gave it a light sand.
Before and After
I would definitely do this process again. It was much easier, and not only did it strip the wood it lightened it as well.
The finished product looks great in the room. Love it!