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Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper removes old paint, varnish, shellac, lacquer and urethane - even multiple coats with simple brushing. Because it contains no water or harsh chemicals it is safe to use on fine furniture. It will not disturb the wood's natural patina or raise the grain, and it will not harm glue joints or veneers. Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper is non-flammable and almost odorless. Furniture stripper has a goopy syrup consistency that cuts through paint film. For gel formula that clings best to vertical or exterior surfaces, try Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint & Varnish Remover. Furniture Stripper does not require any afterwash or neutralizing. Made by Swing Paints.
$7.77
$12.09
$34.33
$147.19
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Wear protective gloves and work in a well ventilated area. Place the object to be stripped on a plastic sheet. Pour some stripper into a small foil, metal or glass container. Brush a liberal amount of stripper over one or two square feet of surface. Wait a few minutes for the finish to dissolve. Remove the dissolved finish using a brush or Circa 1850 Maple Scraper. Remove any residue with the medium (0) steel wool dipped in stripper. When dry, object is ready for finishing. For exterior use or vertical surfaces use Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint & Varnish Remover.
BRAND:
Circa 1850
Type:
Paint Strippers
Questions & Answers about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
2013-06-02A shopper asked: can you use a foam brush with this product?
+Expand Answers
2013-06-02WILLIAM SCHLENKER: Yes you can...I had! However have a few of them because sometimes they fall apart.
2013-06-03ANN MARIE LEVAY: I would not because it is to soft. Bristle brush is much better because you can use it to work some of the finish off it.
2013-06-03JUDY IPPOLITO: I have tried using a foam brush, but found they do not hold up. They almost immediately begin to fall apart.
2013-06-03STEVEN STONE: I have not used a foam brush with this product, I have
only used bristle brushes, old tooth brushes, or steel
wool.
I think a foam brush would be to absorbent & not very
effective.
2013-01-23A shopper asked: will it work on water based finishes?
+Expand Answers
2013-01-24MARIE DURINA: This is a great product but I've only use it to strip polyurethane & other oil based finishes.
2013-01-24NANCY LEROY: I've used it on old furniture, door jambs, old doors, metal, etc. and I'm sure there was all kinds of paint on them. Circa 1850 will pretty much strip any finish, faster and better.
I don't use any other, and I've tried maybe 5 other kinds.
No - I don't work for the company.
2013-01-24ELLEN WENDY DELORIA: Hi I stripped a Hoosier cabinet with years of paint on it thinking maybe
Milk paint it took it off where nothing else would All I have to say is
try it if I were stripping anything its all I Use
2013-01-27STEVEN STONE: I have not used Circa 1850 Stripper on any water based finishes. I have used
other strippers on water based finishes, so i have no reason to believe circa
1850 would not work. I have found that circa 1850 is the best stripper i
have ever used.
2012-07-06PAUL M asked: I have an old mandolin-guitar with some pretty decals under the varnish. I would like to strip and refinish it, but I am concerned that the stripper will damage the decals. How do your experts suggest I proceed? Will your product do the job safely?
+Expand Answers
2012-07-12REB BLANCHARD: I used this product to strip down teak/holly floor boards off an older boat and was very pleased.
Unfortunately, I think your question regarding the impact this will have on the decals is one for the manufacturer.
Sorry I can't answer this.
Reb
2012-02-09GOLDIE G asked: I have a small dining table, six arm chairs, a buffet and another large furniture piece I will need to strip. How much of this will I need?
And, what is this thing I'm reading about called a "Heat Gun"? What does it do & where do you buy it? Since I'm obviously doing a lot here, I need all the help I can get to get through this w/out working myself to death!
Thanks! :)
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2012-02-09ROBERT TIMMS: I would start with a Gallon. You will get an idea once you start using it how much it takes to do YOUR job. Depends on your use also, how you go about stripping. You need to develop a work habit with it.
I would suggest you start with the Table Top, that will be the easiest to do and you will gain experience doing it.
Heat Gun. Not needed to strip a finish off wood.
I do not know what you reference the Heat Gun to.
This is the BEST stripper on the market in my honest opinion.
Just follow directions. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection.
Good luck with your projects.
rrt
2012-02-09DAVID GENTNER: It all depends on what the finish is you're wanting to strip. I use it to remove nitrocellulose lacquer from guitars. It works quite well for this but takes several coats and does not require heat. If you're trying to remove a poly finish like polyester or polyurethane it's a different story. I haven't found a stripper that works well on either of those. There heat is your best bet. A heat gun is like an industrial hair dryer. You should be able to find one at a hardware store. You can get an idea as to what the finish is by wiping it with acetone (nail polish remover). If the acetone bites into the finish it's probably lacquer or shellac. If it doesn't do anything its poly.
2012-02-10SCOTT RUPLE: Hi Goldie,
I'm refinishing a piano that has probably 8 layers of paint over the wood. I started with a Heat Gun (available at any Home Depot or hardware store) to strip off the bulk of the paint. Since the piano was originally varnished, the Heat Gun works great to quickly get down to the varnish. Do not get the wood too hot or you will delaminate the vernier. When the varnish caused to paint to bubble scrape off that section. Work on about a 3" square at a time.
After getting to the varnish, I use the 1850 stripper to remove most of the varnish. I think this is the best stripper on the market. A single gallon can seems to be plenty, even for a full sized piano. The secret is to brush it on with just one stroke and do not try to "paint" the surface by brushing both directions. Use a fine steel wool to remove the stripper and always go with the grain. Use gloves and only work in a well ventilated area.
The final part of stripping I do with denatured alcohol -outdoors and with gloves. I use more very fine steel wool and make a slush. I wipe it off using the blue shop paper towels.
The end result is wood that only needs minimal sanding, fill, stain, and new varnish.
Good Luck!
2012-02-12DON BRUNO: You should buy 2 gal. Is your furniture older then the 90's? If so then you should be able to use this product being you have varnish on and not an acrylic finish .. Use steel wool too ..no scrapers.. and not heat guns... thats for paint removal ..
Don Bruno
Bruno Hardwood Floors
NJ
2012-02-12Goldie G: Thanks so much to all of you that have answered. I wasn't very clear in my original e-mail in that the table is covered in two coats of paint already. Original black paint from Pottery Barn, and an enamel spray paint of Ivory that ended up looking awful & not matching the chairs or other furniture at all.
I'm thinking now of only tacking "just" the round table, and doing my best to find a matching color for the other Pottery Barn ivory dining armchairs & hutch/dresser. I bought it all from the outlet very cheaply thinking it would be easy to recover the chair cushions (which I've done twice now), and paint the black table Ivory to match the rest of the furniture.
The table b/c of the two coats is just awful-looking & the finish is rough in some areas & okay in others, but the color doesn't match. I was thinking of just removing the paint on all of it and painting it all black, but has since decided that maybe it is just the table I need to only tackle, leaving all the other pieces the white/slightly ivory that they are.
Once the table is stripped (round table with an extra removable leaf, does anyone have suggestions for what type of paint to use? Latex, like I've seen some say on the "how to" sites, or should I go with another suggestion from a lady who does painting old furniture for a living? She said she uses "porch floor paint because it is not likely to "go anywhere nor come off".
Since it is two coats of paint and not lacquer or a "poly" applied (not sure why that was implied, but I apologize).....do you guys that answered the question suggest a "heat gun"? I have two pretty "heavy-duty blow-dryers that get very hot", would these work?
So sorry for the confusion, thanks so much for the answers and lastly, does anyone have a suggestion for how much of this remover I should use just for the table?
Thank you!!
2011-11-29LARRY GOODFELLOW asked: how to open lid?
2011-10-02TINADANZIG T asked: I have maple kitchen cabinets that are white-washed. I used another stripper, and it's taking the varnish off but it's not removing the white wash finish. Will this work to remove the white-wash? Thanks, Tina
+Expand Answers
2011-10-03ROBERT TIMMS: If the White was applied to new wood at the time of application, nothing will remove it completely. If the white stain has soaked into the wood, you have a job on your hands,
You may want to consider Mohawk Toners to achive a wood stain look.
Circa 1850 is the best stripper of top coats I have ever used.
No stripper I am aware of will remove the stain applied to new wood..
Hope this helps
2011-10-03MIKE SCHMIDT: I'm pretty confident that it will remove the whitewash. I used Circa 1850 to strip roughly 120' of banisters and it removed the varnish and stain from the hemlock far more effectively than anything I could find at Home Depot. I would suggest however to use steel wool (med. grade) to work into the wood after allowing the Circa to sit on the surface for roughly 10-15 min. If that proves useful, what I typically do is to follow on with another thin coat of Circa and use a fine grade steel wool to finish. My banisters are like glass after the stripping and refinishing.
2011-10-03PETER BROWNSEY: Tina
The Circa 1850 should take off the white wash. I never found anything it would not take off.
Peter
2011-10-05ANN MARIE LEVAY: It will work with a lot of elbow grease, if the white wash was put on bare wood it will take a lot of rubbing. If the white wash was put on top of a finish first it will come off easy. Either way it will work. I did all my woodwork in my house with this and I will not use anything else. It's great! I even used it on a old cricket chair that had been painted and now it's back to natural wood. I would never use anything else but Circa 1850 furniture stripper. It's the best and easeist.
2011-09-16A shopper asked: I'm outside when stripping some wood furniture - should the temperature be a certain temperature before I start?
+Expand Answers
2011-09-16IAN UPDIKE: Works very well - I used it on refinishing metal engine parts. Extremely caustic. Nitrile gloves will bubble and melt after a few minutes. Wear eye and 3M respirator (not the cheap paper ones). I wore two pairs of nitrile gloves - a good quality all-rubber glove would hold up better I think.
Lay Circa 1850 on thick but don't rub it into your work piece as it will decrease effectiveness. It leaves a slime buildup after its done that I had to wash off with water. Don't have experience on wood - seems it would be difficult to get the slime out of the wood grain without water. A heat gun is by far better/safer/more effective on wood and a lot cheaper (and won't raise the grain).
2011-09-16JEREMIAH HAMMER: Conditions are best when the humidity is low and temperatures are above 70 degrees. Of course, sunny and 60 might be alright, but the cooler the temperature the less effective both strippers and finishes become.
2011-09-16JAMES LEIGHT: I've noticed that when I use this stipper when it's cool to cold outside it lasts longer than when it's warm. The stripper seems to evaporate pretty quick when outside in the summer and makes getting the older finish a lot harder to get off.
2011-09-16STEVEN STONE: I have not used the Circa 1850 Stripper outside, but I have used it in
my garage @ 55 degree temp. and it worked ok.
2011-09-17TED RICHARDS: It seams the stripper works best between 65 and 80 degrees.Above 80 it appears to dry or evaporate and below 60 it takes longer to work.
2011-09-17RICHARD FREHS: I do have an answer for you, but I would imagine that it is similar to varnish and paint. Either extreme is not recommended. I have not used this product this year since ordering it from Jamestown. Unfortunately I did not get around to the woodwork this season!
2011-09-18MELISSA KENNEY: I'm sorry we can't help you, since we used the stripper indoors only. It worked great there, though, at about 70 degrees. Good luck!
I own an old Martin guitar with an intricately carved face. Carved themes from folksongs made this a one-of-a-kind instrument, for which I had been offered several thousand dollars. I sent it to a...Read complete review
I own an old Martin guitar with an intricately carved face. Carved themes from folksongs made this a one-of-a-kind instrument, for which I had been offered several thousand dollars. I sent it to a luthier to fix a split inside brace, and to my horror, he had heavily shellacked the carving, thereby ruining the value of the guitar.
I needed to strip the shellac off, but did so with my heart in my mouth. If the product also dissolved the glue, or loosened any of the parts, the guitar would have been totally ruined.
I used this product... very carefully! It easily removed the several layers of shellac without harming the glued parts, and further, it did a great job of removing the coating of even the deepest carved parts. What a great product this is!
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
average
I felt like this was an average product. On a flat surface it works well. But I struggled to get it to do much on vertical surfaces. The product just ran down the face...Read complete review
I felt like this was an average product. On a flat surface it works well. But I struggled to get it to do much on vertical surfaces. The product just ran down the face and didn't have time to work on the wood. I put 3 coats on and it still had varnish on the wood. I might buy from [@]t next time.
I've used Circa 1850 stripper to restore/refinish antiques for many years. I've tried other products but nothing comes close. It literally melts away old finishes. Anyone who does not like this product is probably trying to rush the job. Keep the work area wet & be patient, the old finish will just melt away. It will melt away your gloves as well, so be sure to wear the appropriate gloves!
10/2/2012
4.0
I
By gwen
from listowel ontario
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
I was thrilled with circa1850 stripper I tried everything to get rid of white spots on my maple table top so decided to redo the whole table When I applied 1850 stripper the white spots diasppeared so I immediately washed with soap & water & the spots were gone I didn't have to refinish table Thanks Gwen Perkin 910 perkin cres Listowel Ont N4W3R8
8/3/2012
3.0
average
By miner
from Gillette, WY
About Me Avid Do-It-Yourselfer
Pros
Easy To Clean
Cons
Best Uses
Small Areas
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
I felt like this was an average product. On a flat surface it works well. But I struggled to get it to do much on vertical surfaces. The product just ran down the face and didn't have time to work on the wood. I put 3 coats on and it still had varnish on the wood. I might buy from [@]t next time.
4/5/2012
5.0
Good Stripping Product
By Always Refinishing Something
from Trenton, NJ
About Me Casual Do-It-Yourselfer
Pros
Easy to apply
Easy To Clean
Removed faux finish
Was not too strong
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
I was pleased with this product and would definitely use it again.
2/10/2012
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
The Best
By mATMAN 33
from SAVANNAH GA
About Me Casual Do-It-Yourselfer
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Detailed Work
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
This is the best stripper that I have used. It is fast and does a complete job. No scraping to harm the wood. PLEASE FOLLOW THE SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS AS THIS IS A VERY STRONG PRODUCT. I WILL NEVER USE ANYTHING ELSE
1/2/2011
(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
Very clean results
By Reb
from Minneapolis, MN
About Me Casual Do-It-Yourselfer
Pros
Cons
Evaporates Quickly
Best Uses
Detailed Work
Small Areas
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
Used to remove 44 yr old finish off teak and holly floor boards. Because it evaporates quickly, work small areas and sometimes requires working into the surface to be removed with the brush. I applied with brush and used a Maple Scraper, then finishing pad. The surface left behind was very clean, without any residue.
7/1/2010
(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
Never had done it before
By Never done it before
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
About Me Beginner
Pros
Wonderful product
Cons
None
Best Uses
Detailed Work
Large Areas
Small Areas
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
This was my first time ever stripping anything. I totally ENJOYED the experience. I used it on my front door. It was easy to apply, didn't cause a mess, didn't drip, didn't smell and it worked like a charm. I am ready to tackle any other project now that I have discovered this wonderful product.
12/14/2009
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
Best wood stripper I've ever used!!
By Colin_G
from Baltimore,Md
About Me Avid Do-It-Yourselfer
Pros
Almost odorless
Does not affect the grain
Easy clean up
Fast acting
Time saver
Works as advertised
Cons
None
Best Uses
Detailed Work
Large Areas
Small Areas
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
I recently purchased this product, Circa 1850 furniture stripper, to use on an old gunstock.
The original finish was about 52 years old but that didn't affect the stripper at all. In about twenty minutes and with only ONE application of stripper the stock was done 100%! This also included clean-up time.
In only a few minutes the stock looked like it came right off the stock carving machine with zero residue, no old finish, and NO damage!
The only work I had to do was turn the stock to put stripper on. It did everything else.
After using this stripper for the first time I can definitely say that for future wood projects this is going to be the one to use if you want excellent results.
Thanks guys, your product is #1 in my book.
11/17/2009
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
Definitly worth more than charging!
By Jim the QA Guy
from Pawling, NY
About Me Novice
Pros
Easy To Clean
Easy to work with
Fast acting
Cons
Best Uses
Large Areas
Small Areas
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
I was looking for something quick, and not much work involved to remove the 30yr old varnish, dirt and oils embedded on an antique desk I am restoring. This stuff worked unbelievably well! I was so impressed as to how quick it took off the gunk after just a couple minutes of painting it on. It scrapped right off with a small putty knife and left a really nice finish underneath. The desk is almost done and it is gonna be beautiful!!! You won't be disappointed using this!
10/5/2009
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
5.0
FURNITURE STRIPPING MADE SIMPLE
By Earth
from Texas
About Me Avid Do-It-Yourselfer
Pros
Does the job perfectly
Low odour
Cons
Nothing negative to add
Best Uses
Detailed Work
Large Areas
Small Areas
Comments about Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper:
This is the only stripper I use and that's been for over 20 years. I've done furniture restoration for myself as well as for clients and there is no other stripper that out performs this one. I couldn't find this stripper when I moved to Texas (from Quebec) and tried a few other brands and they didn't work as well and the odour almost drove me out of the area. This stripper is highly recommended by me and I DO tell everyone about it. It is worth my while to get it shipped here and I will continue buying this product for as long as I refinish furniture. That is guaranteed. There is no other kind.
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Special order items are not stocked and are ordered direct from the manufacturer. They are non-returnable, may take 2-4 weeks, price and shipping charges subject to change.
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