# Stripping and Staining in Cold Weather ????



## whenpigsfly (Oct 21, 2020)

I am currently stripping varnish from an interior oak 6-panel door using Kleen Strip. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was not able to get this done "outside" during the summer months. It is now between 34 and 40 degrees (F) in Minnesota and I have found myself in a pickle. The curtain set-up covering the bathroom door is just not sustainable until spring. While I can eventually set up a warm place inside to either lacquer or varnish a finish coat, I am stuck in an unheated garage for stripping and maybe staining. Given that I have already sanded off a great deal of the varnish, I did have some good success stripping one side at 50 degrees, but I'm not sure about what the temperature does to the chemical action of the stripper when it gets colder. Do I need to leave it work longer? Should I find a space heater? Is it better to stain in the cold or the warm, or doesn't it matter? I grew up watching my Dad re-build and refinish furniture (he was a real master), so I understand the process. It's just that I was mostly holding the flashlight or the glue and this is my first BIG project. I welcome any suggestions!!!


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

whenpigsfly said:


> I am currently stripping varnish from an interior oak 6-panel door using Kleen Strip. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was not able to get this done "outside" during the summer months. It is now between 34 and 40 degrees (F) in Minnesota and I have found myself in a pickle. The curtain set-up covering the bathroom door is just not sustainable until spring. While I can eventually set up a warm place inside to either lacquer or varnish a finish coat, I am stuck in an unheated garage for stripping and maybe staining. Given that I have already sanded off a great deal of the varnish, I did have some good success stripping one side at 50 degrees, but I'm not sure about what the temperature does to the chemical action of the stripper when it gets colder. Do I need to leave it work longer? Should I find a space heater? Is it better to stain in the cold or the warm, or doesn't it matter? I grew up watching my Dad re-build and refinish furniture (he was a real master), so I understand the process. It's just that I was mostly holding the flashlight or the glue and this is my first BIG project. I welcome any suggestions!!!


I would recommend putting up a temporary door until spring or find a professional refinishing shop to at least strip the door. The government has banned the chemical to the public that makes paint strippers effective. Even if you could get the good stuff, no remover works well below 70 degrees. You would have to have facilities that could be heated with flammable vapors present as many removers are explosively flammable. Then you would have to have a flow over system with a pail heater to do the job in cold weather. 

The problem with sanding off a finish is it tends to remove what is on the surface and leaves what is penetrated into the wood. You may think you have it all ready to finish and when you start applying the stain find spots that won't accept the stain right. Wood needs to be thoroughly chemically stripped before any sanding is done to insure it can be as close to new wood as possible when the time comes for stain.


----------



## whenpigsfly (Oct 21, 2020)

Steve: Thank you so much for your reply. On the one door side, I did apply stripper to the entire sanded surface to pull up whatever was hiding in the wood. I have already made that mistake of thinking sanded trim pieces were clean when of course they weren't. Doing it all twice was enough for me. Consequently, with the door, I spent many hours scrubbing the sanded areas with steel wool and a crevice brush until nothing at all was coming up. Then I neutralized the stripper with a cloth soaked in turpentine. I did notice that it does take a bit longer for turpentine to dry at 50 degrees. I know other people use other neutralizers, but I went with what I was taught. I may take your advice, or take a chance with stripping inside ONLY if I can find a safe way to totally protect the basement carpet. I know what you are talking about with the banned chemical. I vividly recall that my sister and I were once sent on a very secret day trip to a very secret place to get "the good stuff." As teenagers. we were totally convinced my father was setting us up to get arrested for something. 

Assuming that the 70 degree rule applies to oil-based stain as well. It would make sense that colder wood would not absorb as well as warmer wood. Dad did everything in a heated basement shop so we just never talked about the effect of temperatures. Much like him, I am way too much of a perfectionist not to be haunted by a bad job and I really don't want to do this twice. My hubby, the primary "door lifter," who has absolutely no patience for doing this stuff, would probably need to leave the house. The quote I have for professional refinishing is twice the price of a brand new door, which makes me wonder if I made the wrong career choice. Would you suggest lacquer (brushed, because I don't know how to spray, nor do I have the right facilities) or varnish for a bathroom door? I have always favored brushed lacquer with other projects, mostly so I don't have to sand between coats, whereas my Dad wouldn't touch it. I'm pretty sure the rest of the woodwork was very hastily spray-stained and spray-lacquered and looks almost as horrible as the door did. That issue is for another day, but I intend to keep the finish the same. What are the pros and cons of using either? 

Thanks Again, Kathy.


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

whenpigsfly said:


> Steve: Thank you so much for your reply. On the one door side, I did apply stripper to the entire sanded surface to pull up whatever was hiding in the wood. I have already made that mistake of thinking sanded trim pieces were clean when of course they weren't. Doing it all twice was enough for me. Consequently, with the door, I spent many hours scrubbing the sanded areas with steel wool and a crevice brush until nothing at all was coming up. Then I neutralized the stripper with a cloth soaked in turpentine. I did notice that it does take a bit longer for turpentine to dry at 50 degrees. I know other people use other neutralizers, but I went with what I was taught. I may take your advice, or take a chance with stripping inside ONLY if I can find a safe way to totally protect the basement carpet. I know what you are talking about with the banned chemical. I vividly recall that my sister and I were once sent on a very secret day trip to a very secret place to get "the good stuff." As teenagers. we were totally convinced my father was setting us up to get arrested for something.
> 
> Assuming that the 70 degree rule applies to oil-based stain as well. It would make sense that colder wood would not absorb as well as warmer wood. Dad did everything in a heated basement shop so we just never talked about the effect of temperatures. Much like him, I am way too much of a perfectionist not to be haunted by a bad job and I really don't want to do this twice. My hubby, the primary "door lifter," who has absolutely no patience for doing this stuff, would probably need to leave the house. The quote I have for professional refinishing is twice the price of a brand new door, which makes me wonder if I made the wrong career choice. Would you suggest lacquer (brushed, because I don't know how to spray, nor do I have the right facilities) or varnish for a bathroom door? I have always favored brushed lacquer with other projects, mostly so I don't have to sand between coats, whereas my Dad wouldn't touch it. I'm pretty sure the rest of the woodwork was very hastily spray-stained and spray-lacquered and looks almost as horrible as the door did. That issue is for another day, but I intend to keep the finish the same. What are the pros and cons of using either?
> 
> Thanks Again, Kathy.


At one time I had a furniture refinishing business. I still do it occasionally but I no longer have the facilities to do it so at this point of the year I would turn down any refinishing work until spring just because of the low temperature and I can purchase remover with methylene chloride. Furniture refinishing is interesting but not very lucrative. It always takes more work and supplies than you can charge for. You have to keep so many different finishing products that have a short shelf life so you are always throwing away finishing supplies. 

Turpentine doesn't neutralize paint stripper, it loosens the residue and rinses it off. For most removers lacquer thinner would be a better solvent for this purpose. 

You can use an oil based stain at any temperature. It's more of a problem at high temperatures than cold. In very hot weather it tends to go too dark so thinning may be necessary. 

Without a picture I couldn't guess what problems you are having with the sprayed stain and lacquer. I don't care for brushing lacquer except very small parts. It dries so fast it streaks and leaves bad brush marks on something as large as a door. Lacquer sprayed is a very quick and easy finish to do but it not a very good finish on a lot of things. Lacquer is sensitive to humidity but isn't affected by temperature. You can spray it above 100 degrees or below freezing. It dries from solvent evaporation. For a door lacquer would work alright if not applied too thick. It doesn't work well any place subject to water. In the 1970's painters almost exclusively used lacquer to finish kitchen cabinets but later quit because the finish got ruined by water dripping down the front of the doors at the sink. For onsite finishing today they are more likely to use a fast dry polyurethane. Factory made cabinets are more likely to be done with a conversion varnish. 

If you have compressed air a twenty dollar harbor freight sprayer would make your finishing work a lot easier. I use one like this https://www.harborfreight.com/32-oz-heavy-duty-multi-purpose-air-spray-gun-69704.html

Be very careful trying to use any finishing product in an enclosed space so you can heat. The fumes can cause a lot of health problems if not a fire or explosion. Sometimes I will heat a space and then turn the heat off and go in with a chemical respirator to work. You can't do much like that because the space cools quickly but it's best to be safe.


----------

