So I am new to all of this. I painted some chairs and don't like how they turned out. So how do remove the paint and change the color??? Also, can you paint over stain? For example, if I stain something and it has been finished with polyurathene (wrong spelling for sure!), how do you change that??? Can you just paint over it or do you have to strip it or something? And can you stain a chair that has been painted? That sounds like a dumb question with a definite no, but just checking! Thanks for any help!
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Tsu Dho Nimh
Thu, 03/31/2011 - 18:15
You can paint over paint, and
You can paint over paint, and paint over polyurethane. Lightly scuff the surface with steel wool or sandpaper and add the next layer.
Just stick to water-based over water based and solvent-based over solvent based and you will be fine.
claydowling
Sat, 04/02/2011 - 14:16
A safety measure or two
First, give the paint a month. Latex paints take about four weeks to completely dry. Also, with time you might change your mind about the color.
Second, if there are any worries about paint holding well put a coat of shellac on. Shellac will seal whatever is underneath, and most everything adheres to shellac. Sanding Sealer is a clear shellac and works the best for sealer, but any shellac will work.
lan99
Tue, 08/13/2013 - 14:31
Paint doesn't like shiny
Paint doesn't like shiny surfaces like polyurethane. But you can quickly fix that just by lightly sanding the surface with a 320 grit sandpaper. If you do choose to go the stripping route, it's not as bad as it sounds. This is a decent article: http://www.amateurdiy.com/refinishing/stripping-paint/
filletthecoarse
Wed, 08/14/2013 - 16:03
heat gun
Before my adult ADD was diagnosed I had a real "impulse painting" problem, so I've been through this a lot.
You can paint over paint, but I usually wished I had taken the time to strip it all down. Or at least strip down most of it and start with as blank a slate as I could, and I think Ana's right about flat paint.
I've done chemical stripping to with painted and stained/poly-ed surfaces. If you do this get the nasty 15 minutes stuff, a scraper with a thinner metal blade with some flexibility, and some stripping brushes. I usually wound up get the last of it off using the brushes and soapy water. Then sanded everything as best I could.
What I really recommend is a heat gun. I finally got one the last time I removed paint. The paint just peels off. I couldn't believe how easy it was.
Spray paint is really great for things like chairs too. I like to use premixed quarts that have a matching spray available to get harder to reach spots.