How To Clean Stripped Wood Before Painting

White vinegar for heavily soiled unfinished wood that has sticky residue or similar film buildup.

How to clean stripped wood before painting. Step 2 Mist a lint-free cleaning rag with the spray. Start sanding gently with the paper alone. Use a palm sander or a random orbital sander to quickly strip away imperfections and previous layers of stain to reveal the underlying natural wood.

Use a brush when painting old siding. If the unfinished wood was exposed more than 3 to 4 weeks lightly sand the surface to remove the thin layer of degraded wood before applying paint. The stripper may dry before you can remove it from the wood.

Once the piece is completely stripped down to the wood and you are satisfied you can begin the cleaning process. Use a toothbrush to clean off any fine details. Spray your rag and work your way down from the top to the bottom.

After applying these products to the surface use a scraper wire brush or stripper to remove the paint. After stripping the wood do not sand it. Brush spray or roll on the chemical stripping agent.

When finished with all of your sanding carefully wipe down and vacuum up all traces of dust and debris before you introduce primer and paint into the picture. Another great option is a white vinegar and water solution. Soap-like compounds can form on oil primers in as little as two weeks.

Applying oil-based or shellac primer is a required step when painting over stained wood. Work efficiently by starting with a coarse sandpaper in the 60-100 grit range and gradually switch to finer sandpapers rated closer to 150 grit. Be careful not to saturate your piece too much with liquid.