Question about using a heat gun to strip paint from a 1920s oak dresser I picked up in Cleveland last month

3 comments

3 Comments

Heat guns can be a real mess on old wood like that. You'll scorch the oak in a heartbeat if you're not super careful, and then you're stuck sanding out burn marks. Chemical stripper might be slower, but it gets into all those carvings without cooking the wood underneath. That old finish probably has lead in it too, and a heat gun just sends that dust and fumes right into the air you're breathing.

robert_ross9519d agoTop Commenter

Ever tried a chemical stripper instead?

wren_mitchell19d ago

Used to swear by the chemical stuff for old paint. Then I tried a heat gun on a window frame last year (way less fumes, honestly). The control was just better, and it didn't leave that weird, gummy residue the stripper sometimes does.