I'm interested in what you said, as I've got a project myself (some enamel painted sliding eave doors, over which my painter used acrylic=peeling all over).

Citrustrip. How much hand/eye protection did you wear, and how were the fumes?

It sounds like you're getting there on your kitchen if your doing your Quakermaid cabinets. I think you had a counter top installed last time I read a post.

Good luck. Endurance is definitely one of your qualities.

Go Christine, go!
Confession, your post's title made a riff of music begin in my head. Hips may have swayed.

Speaking of stripping, I have to rave about soy gel - no smell, can get on your skin without issue, biodegradable, and cleans up with water. Stripped multiple layers of both latex and oil paints with one application amazing. And if you can do out in the sun it goes even faster. Sooo cool!

I second the SoyGel. I vastly prefer it to the Citrus products. Though I don't think it works as aggressively, or fast. That's OK with me though as it isn't as harsh on my skin. And it cleans up easier, especially on old floors with cracks.

Just keep it covered with saran wrap while it's working. You can go out shopping

L.

>>hips swayingLOL! that's what imagination is all about!

SparklingWater, that's my point! No fumes. Can be used inside. Safety equipment? Well, I wore my Dollar Store magnifiers, since I can't see a thing. I squeegied the sludge into a drywall bucket. I missed a few times and stepped in it barefood, so I guess I scraped my feet off.

It's clean-up is with soap and water. I'm eyeing everything as potentially stripped. I'm hoping it comes in 5 gallon buckets.

Guys, I was originally looking for SoyGel! Read great things. However, HD and Lowe's here don't currently carry it. Where'd you get it?

You can order from amazon, but I got it at woodcraft - rocklear also sells it.

Would soy gel be suitable to use on an antique table?

Hun, people don't strip new furniture.

Holly-Kay ... it depends on the table. Ask again on the antiques forum, with a picture or two of the table.

Christine,
I have no expertise of either kind of stripping. I just wanted to say I have missed your posts on the kitchen forum and am delighted to "see" you back!
You have personality plus and your posts are always informative with wonderful humor! Thanks for making my day!

tea4all, thank you! That's very kind.

I find I'm so tired these days I'm not as patient as I should be, so I've stepped back and let the world work its way out. Sometimes you gotta. This door stripping is quiet, requires patience, and has a nice result.

I appreciate your note.

You are so welcome, Christine. I have learned a lot from your posts-- not just about remodeling tasks that are doable and finding treasures to repurpose, but about handling life with humor. Thank you.

Have a great peaceful day!

Christine
Hey thanks for the testimonial on the citristrip.
I have six old French mahogany exterior doors and two chestnut pocket doors to refinish for my new house. Plus a couple antiques for Vanities.
I started with some "green" stuff cant remember name, It DID NOT work. So went with the kwikstrip. It barely worked, lots of elbow grease. I used to refinish furniture years ago and NEVER had this much trouble.
I will get the citrus stuff. My DH is eye rolling my projects as he thinks I'm crazy for wanting old stuff in a new house.

Hi CEFreeman, I don't think we've met, I am Nancy, may I call you Christine? I redid my kitchen three summers ago with a set of Quakermaid cabs from 1987. Mine were grooved oak in a soft white stain. The finish had just plain worn off in places, but my cabs have a modern no-hardware look with router-ed out places for fingers to get behind each door to pull it open. They have rounded edges, too. Stain does NOT want to stick there, which is what made re-staining the 30 doors and 20 drawer fronts so infuriating, as if the grooves every half inch were not enough! But in the end, I have a new looking kitchen that functions as if new. We did not replace a single drawer glide or hinge! Quakermaid are, indeed, a-maid-zing cabinets! I hope you enjoy yours as much as we are enjoying ours. Maybe the two of us should do a commercial for Quakermaid?

Thank you so much for the report on the Citrustrip. We redid the living room at the front of the house and made it into a music room/library. We added french doors to it and the ones I bought off Craigslist have this murky ugly stain on them. I tried scrubbing them with mineral spirits (or with what passes for mineral spirits these days) and steel wool and it took off the murkiness - but not uniformly. And because I have a very limited ability to scrub with my ligament disorder, there is no way I will ever in my lifetime do all four sides. So one side of one door is halfway stripped. Maybe with your Citrustrip I can get that job done this summer! That would be after I sand and stain and poly the one door from the kitchen cabs that went missing three years ago and turned up in my carpenter's shop six month's later. Oh - and the trim for the island and the knee hole for the desk area. And the paint touch ups so the kitchen will finally be done and I can do "Completed" pix.

Then I can start on the two candidates I have for vanities for the bathroom. One is an antique "hotel dresser", other is a used Kraftmade vanity. DH says I need to chose one of these two, or we'll have to have a bonfire. Such a literary guy!

Here is a link that might be useful: Quakermaid kitchen remodel with used cabs

Ok.
First, Nancy_in_MI, we have met. I grew up in Mason, remember? Good to hear from you. I currently have the other 3 drawers out on the porch soaking in evil stripper. I like the white washed look it's giving me. Who knew in this world of dark woods?

Guys, the thing I've learned this go-round is patience. The Citrustrip you put on thickly. They say 1/8". This means to lay your paint brush practically flat and smear it on, vs. brush it on. Then, you can leave it for as long as 24 hours. Or put a coat on, go to work, come home and scrape it off. It creates buckets of sludge.

When I just plain leave it alone, things are gorgeous. Even the old varnish under this white paint is coming off beautifully. I've attached a picture for your enjoyment. Oh - and I don't bother with gloves with Citrustrip anymore!

I've done a few applications to lift the stain out, though. You put it on and wait about 30 minutes. You can see the stain coming up because it starts looking like BBQ sauce.

Now here's the kicker:
Scrape it off.
Take one of those scrubbing pads and soapy water and scrub with the grain to remove this layer. I'm tipping my doors on their side so the water will run off, vs. lifting the veneer.

But don't use mineral spirits!!! It takes the stain out of the stripper and you end up with a pink, burgundy, fuchia, and reddish door. You'll have to strip again to lift that stain off.

I started on my mahogany front door side lights. It is lifting 11 coats of Olympic dark walnut stain, with 11 coats of rub-on polyurathane in between. It's leaving enough stain behind (or at least I'm going to stop where it is) that it's a beautiful antiqued look. What I've hoped for all along!

It's so beautiful I'm going to strip my front door of its last year's sealer, (Cabot's Australian Timber Oil, which creates Golden Oak color----- ICK!!!!) stain it walnut then use the stripper to take it out. I'm going to try to match as much as I can, but I cannot believe this is what I wanted, anyway!!! Yeah!!!

The thing is leave it on, thickly..

This might not be news to refinishing vets, but I can tell you it's news to me! Great news!!

Oh yes, I do remember now.

Wow, that looks so satisfying! Makes me wish I had some painted furniture to try it on.

Wow! Loving the tips. Refinishing cabinets soon and maybe some doors too. Love the post subject and yes I'll admit it/won't deny what went thu my head! Lol
Jen
Another one for ya!
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