Safety

• Stripping a finish off a wood floor with chemicals has its pluses and minuses. If you decide to use a chemical process, safety is an important consideration. The fumes from chemical strippers can be overwhelming. The products can be caustic or toxic. Solutions can burn the skin and cause serious injury to eyes. Chemical removers can be flammable as well. If you decide to use chemical removers, wear safety glasses, clothing that fully covers your body and latex gloves. With proper use of chemical floor strippers, you can make a wood floor look new.
  
  

Considerations

• The key to stripping off an old finish with chemical removers is to proceed slowly. Take time to make safety preparations such as properly ventilating the room and outfitting yourself with safety gear. Plan enough time to do the job. The process requires working on small sections at a time under good light so no part of the old finish is left behind. More importantly, you must get the old finish off and the new finish on before you stop working. Unless the bare wood is covered right away, it can easily get scratched or stained.
  
  

Removing Lacquer and Shellac Finishes

• The chemicals you use will depend upon what kind of finish is on the wood. Many old finishes are lacquers, varnishes and shellac. These finishes can be softened and scraped away. Denatured alcohol and chemical thinners are primary ingredients in the products used to strip these finishes. They are dabbed on with cloths and rubbed away with abrasives such as steel wool.
  
  

Removing Paint and Polyurethane

• Get paint or polyurethane off a floor with paint or polyurethane strippers. These are brushed on and scraped off. For paint, apply it with a paintbrush, but dab it on to the floor. For polyurethane, use a paintbrush and paint it on the floor in long, even strokes. After the strippers have had a chance to work, scrape away the product and the old finish with a blade, such a wide putty knife. Steel wool or a razor blade finishes the hard-to-reach spots. Strippers dry out quickly, so cover the section with aluminum foil while the stripper is working.