I have to strip about 250 sq ft of varnished T&G oak floor. It’s not shellac, I tested it with ethyl alcohol.
Fortunately, the varnish isn’t too thick. Unfortunately, neither is the remaining wood on the top sides of the grooves. I don’t dare sand, as previous refinishers have already sanded thru in some places. My plan is to strip the floor chemically, repair those bad spots by gluing in small pieces, then carefully hand sanding them to match.
So, what brand/product would you recommend for stripping it?
Thanks —
— J.S.
Replies
ZIP STRIP, and a scraper.
LOTS of naptha for a rinse and then Sealcote ( dewaxed shellac) , the zip strip has wax and will repel a new finish if not wiped well, and sealed.
Actually, I'd be inclined to skip the stripper and go straight to scraping only. Stripper is a messy way to go.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?
Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.
And don't forget the fans and VOC mask with that stripper and naptha.
No fans. They can ignite fumes ( technically).
Again, I like just scraping for that small of an area. A sharp shave hook, can easily get a sqft a minute I'd think. If that long.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.
Open two windows and have a fan blowing in, not sucking out. That'll help ventilate without pulling potentially flammable vapors through the fan. Still use a respirator though.
Unfortunately, the local stores don't have Zip Strip. I've started with a gallon of Do-it's quick stripper. It hasn't been all that messy, the stuff comes off as slightly damp shavings rather than as sticky goo. Dry scraping just doesn't work, the finish is too hard and tough. But with this methylene chloride stripper, it's doable.
I've tried covering it with plastic and varying the time I let it work. It turns out that this stuff, even under plastic, will let the finish re-harden if I wait too long. The best approach seems to be to do as much as I can brush on in 15 minutes, about 20 square feet. That amount takes 45 to an hour to scrape off, so the material as I'm scraping it has been working between 15 minutes and an hour. It's hardening up again by the end of that hour -- or maybe it's just that I'm getting too old for this.... ;-)
-- J.S.
I don't envy you. All Meth-chlor strippers have SOME wax, that is s'posed to slow the evap time to allow the meth to work. I guess you found the ideal time frame, they all seem to have certain window of best time.
Too bad dry didn't work out, but if you are getting crumblies instead of runny goo...more power to ya!
Is there a recommended "nuetralizer" mentioned?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.
Thanks -- I believe it says mineral spirits, but I don't have the can handy.
-- J.S.
M.S., Naptha, about the same for that use..naptha evaps a tad faster.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.
A guy I used to work for once told me you can "screen" a floor.I think it's a sanding screen used in a big random orbital sander,and supposedly it removes only finish.
But Sphere's scraping idea would be cheaper(and maybe faster) if you have to rent a RO floor sander.
John
I agree with Sphere. Use Zip Strip and a scaper. I clean up with Zip Strip's remover.
I have had good success with the floor sander from Lowes. It has 3 - 8"orbital sanding disks. It did a nice job with very little dust.
I still stripped first, then washed with Oxiclic Acid.
The floor didn't have much finish. The Oxiclic Acid really cleaned alot of dirt out of the pores.
Rich
If the floor is that thin,aren't you worried about it splintering?
> If the floor is that thin,aren't you worried about it splintering?
Yes, but we love the look of old red oak. I'm hoping that the problem is only in a few spots, which I'll patch. There's no real way to tell given that the subfloor has its slight hills and valleys, too. That's why I don't want to sand anywhere except to blend in the patches. I'm kinda hoping that the bad spots are mostly near the walls, where somebody years ago paused with a floor sander. So far, that's where I've found them.
Bottom line, yes, we're gambling on this one. Fortunately, my daughter doesn't mind a mildly distressed look -- this is her room.
Thanks, everybody, for the advice.
-- J.S.
Hi John:I'm a chemist, so I really only see 3 types of strippers: Methylene chloride based
N-Methyl Pyrollidine (NMP) based
stuff that doesn't work (kidding!)Anyways, regardless of which one you use, GIVE IT TIME! The best way to do this is to slather on the stripper, then lay some thin plastic sheeting (that real skinny plastic dropcloth stuff works very well) over it. Push it down until it makes contact. Then leave it for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better. Now scrape. The increased contact time makes a world of difference. -t
It is a little more expensive, but very friendly to use, Soy-Gel. Very low fumes, and clean up with water. Very thick too, so you could apply it to one area, then scrape it back and re-use it on the next area. I forget the coverage ratio though.
http://www.franmar.com/index.php?cPath=21
I tested it with ethyl alcohol.
I tested a floor like that once when I wuz 2 sheets gone an' tripped over my own feet hold'in a glass of everclear (hic).
Ho'da ever remember you tested it<G>
Anyway, like already said, Methyl Chlroide type stripper, with big fan.
Fans. If you use a shade pole motor (typical cheap window fan) and a mercury switch ya got an explsion proof setup. Blowing helps vs. suck. Either is fun with enough ethyl alcohol, or even without <GGGGGGG>
Have not seen ya post for awhile John, is the X sufficx a different John than the guy at Paramount??
Nope, it's the same me. The site just made me re-register once.
-- J.S.
See if lye will strip a small section. I used a mixture of lye, cornstarch, and water to strip my floors. The cornstarch thickens it. I don't remember the relative amounts.
ne sutor ultra crepidam: Disputantum Semirotten Woodworking
I just hand scraped portions of an oak floor to repair some scratches and can say without hesitation that even with the best tools (new 2-1/2" carbide blade in heavy scraper for most material, followed by freshly sharpened cabinet scraper) this would be a poor way to refinish a floor of any size.
I use the technique when fixing scratches in finished homes because it's clean and leaves clean lines between boards where the old finish stops.
On larger areas a quality RO sander with hard sanding pad (not a typical hook & loop 5" RO) will take down the finish along the edges, and a rental disk sander with screens will take off most of the finish. You'll still have to finish spots with the RO to avoid removing too much wood on the high spots.
If the floor is already sanded through in spots, the floor is toast and where it isn't sanded through it's paper thin and not worth wasting time on.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.