If only every UA-camr were like you. This video brought tears to my eyes. No blathering and awful jokes. No technical terms. Excellent lighting and side by side comparison. And the icing on the cake? Just the right length for the video. You’re a national hero Ms. Lady.
I have a house built in 1932 that has 9 doors I have to strip and paint. They used to have a varnish underneath, and they each have a Baker's dozen layers of paint on them. This video was perfect! I use Watco for other wood products, I liked its results best in this experiment. Thank you for your hard work putting this video together!
Definitely the best, most concise diy video that I have seen. Very fair comparisons. Equal techniques. Great safety information included. She got to work right away on the process in her video without a lot of talk. Related to the viewer without talking like they needed to be hand held. Pleasant music during the downtime where things processed along without needing to make comments. Thanks!
I love and appreciate how thorough you are in this comparison. I am pregnant and have been wanting to strip and repaint a crib that we got. Had I not watched this, I probably wouldn't have paid as much attention to the warning about the harmful chemicals causing health issues for an unborn child. I guess I'll just have to leave the stripping work to my hubby. And possibly the painting too. Have you heard of QCS? It's non-toxic. I called them to ask if it works on paint and they said that it has been found to work on older latex paints but not so much on the newer ones. Would love to get your opinion on it!
what a revelation to learn Citristrip is just as dangerous as the others. I too, bought it in the past because I thought it was safer. Lesson learned. End result is beautiful!!
Thank you so much for this demonstration! Way back in the early 1980's I stripped all the woodwork in my house. That included the living room, dining room and front hall, the entire stairway, including steps, risers and two landings, and the upstairs hall. Altogether I did six doorways, four doors, six full size window frames, two small windows on the stairway and all the baseboard. Working at it on weekends, it took about 18 months. What can I say? I was young, ambitious and stupid. LOL! Before this I had already stripped several pieces of furniture that I rescued from junk shops. While I did wear rubber gloves, I didn't use any of the other protective gear and I think I just put the debris into garbage bags. That was probably a bad idea even though nothing really terrible ever happened. Thank goodness. I will say -- for anyone who's never done this -- DO wear heavy rubber gloves and long sleeves. These chemicals burn if you happen to touch them. And wear clothes you do not care about, as well. The stripper does wash out and won't damage most cottons but I cannot guarantee they won't damage blends. BTW, it's a great idea to put all the debris in a cardboard box. I hadn't thought of that. Now it's been 40 years and I'm about to strip a side counter in my kitchen that is in front of an inset window. It's just a little project, about 2' by 4', but I think it would be a vast improvement showing the exposed wood. Plus, it was a mess before. And I'm so glad I watched this video first. Besides the idea of using a cardboard box to hold the debris, it also shows how well paint tape protects areas you don't want to strip. I'd rather not have to repaint the walls around the area when I'm finished. They don't guarantee that it will protect from stripper so I'll still be careful along the edges. But I have it up. And, after watching your demonstration, I'm glad I did not buy the Citristrip. I thought about it before I saw this video but I happened to choose Kwik Strip. BTW, I've never used mineral spirits to clean off the wood. I had just washed it with Pine-Sol then sanded it down. I know mineral spirits or turpentine is supposed to thin or remove any left over but it bothers me to mix the two chemicals. Well, wish me luck. It's 3:20 a.m., but the day will be hot. So I plan to start in just a few minutes. And I'd rather do this while I can keep my windows open and the fan running.
UPDATE: I was wrong about the brand I'm using. Mine is called Klean Strip Premium Stripper. It also has the same warnings and directions. Waiting for the 2nd coat at this point. These old paints. Most are oil based and difficult.
Quick strip is now called Klean strip. The removed the chemical that used to burn your skin so the new strippers are less "painful" to use. Be certain to wear a good respirator and open all the windows! I always use LOTS of stripper and let it sit 15 minutes. Watch some of my more recent videos to get detailed info about how to strip furniture. thanks for watching!
I have seen citristrip used with great success by applying a thick layer and then covering the whole area with a thick plastic trash bag and leaving it overnight. The layers of paint come off like melted butter. In my experience it seems to work just as well as the first two brands just a lot slower.
I've used it by placing cling wrap over it, but why bother? The only reason I used it was because I thought it was safer. If the other two work faster, then why not just use them in the first place? Unless it's just because of the pleasent smell that Citristrip offers?
I just bought Citristrip, because I also thought it was safer. I’ll pickup safety equipment in the morning. But, I may continue to use it. All I’m doing is removing the finish off a metal door, so I’m not trying to have perfect wood grain. Then I’ll sand, prime and paint.
Thanks Pam. I am glad that you find them helpful. I have always done comparisons like this for myself and I am glad to share my experience with my viewers to save you the trouble of doing it and hopefully save you money so you know the best one to purchase. Thanks for watching!
I needed this video. I used citri strip on an armoire a few months ago because it was advertised as the safer, easier option… the whole process was so tedious and frustrating that I set the project back into my storage unit and haven’t worked on ANY furniture since. With this video, I’m thinking I can go back and try again
Very well done video on stripping furniture. I thought Citristrip was safer than the others. This is insightful. Good to be reminded of why we use all these recommended safety wear. I wear it all. I’m gonna be using ONLY Watco & Kwickstrip in the future.
Thanks for this very helpful video. The Kwik Strip has been discontinued. I have heard that Citristrip has changed formulas and doesn't work as it did in the past.
Thank you so much for this very detailed demonstration of all 3 products! I appreciate all of your time, hard work and thoughtful effort to bringing forth this content. The finished restoration piece looks amazing!
I just discovered your channel. I’m impressed. Thanks for doing a thorough job in testing. These three strippers. I’ve used two of them and wasn’t thrilled with either of them. I think you may have saved me a lot of money!
Over the years I had stripped maybe five or six pieces with big gaps of time between. Last month I started stripping my cabinets in my kitchen just so that I could repaint them to match my newer cabinets that were added. There was the original finish plus two layers of paint that I knew of that had been done since the house was built in 58. I jumped on the citrusstrip bandwagon after watching several videos, unfortunately not comparison ones. What an unholy mess. I can't tell you how many hours I've put into this and still have many to go, just to clean them up so I can paint. I personally will never use citrus strip again. Thank you for the honesty and work you put into this I wish I had seen it earlier!!
It's gorgeous!!! Thanks for the comparison. I've used Kwik Strip and Stripeze for years. I tried Citristrip years ago and found it did not work well at all. I've not tried Watco, but I will in the future. Thanks again. You did a great job on the bureau!
That was very informative. I am presently using the watco on a dresser and was going to go and purchase the citrus (that’s what I normally would use) but after viewing this I will continue using the stinky watco stripper.
WOW, I love your channel! Very well-spoken, honest, and great production value of the vids. PLUS, you get the most beautiful pieces to refinish. I don't like MCM but wow this cabinet is beautiful. Thank you.
Great video! I use an empty paint can, if i have one, to put the stripped goo into. Then i put the lid on and take it to the toxic waste disposal provided for free by my county. Two or three dressers fits in one old paint can, and i have no trouble getting empty paint cans from people.
This video was very helpful! I liked that you used the same conditions for each strippers. I went to Lowes looking for either Kwit or Watco and it only had Citristrip and Klean Strip Priemium Stripper. Totally inspired by you. I brought the Klean Striper was able to get one pair of chemical gloves there as well. So wish me luck on this one. I'm stripping a door and it has a few coats of paint on it. The directions say to leave it on 15 to 30 minutes then repeat if necessary and wash off with Minieral Spirits or a n abrasive pad.
Thanks for the video; very informative. I also noticed you started to clean the putty knife after each pass, a technique I learned as you don't want to force paint pigments into the wood fibers. The old Methylene Chloride strippers would have the paint bubbling in about 64 seconds. By the time you had it spread out, you be ready to start removing. They'd also do about 7 or eight layer of paint (often lead paint, which gets really hard) in one pass. Oh well; they were taken off the market by an overzealous regulatory system, so now you have to take about 10 times the amount of hours to get the job done. Thanks again and your work came out beautiful. I hope the piece finds a good home.
@@vsvnrg3263 I don't have a death wish. I'm not sure what you're talking about, but if it's in regard to Methalene Chloride paint strippers, then they are perfectly safe, when used correctly; like many things we take for granted in everyday life.
@@jazbuilding , if youve got a fume cupboard they might be safe for you. you seem to be in denial of what materials data sheets and government health and safety groups say about the stuff. furthermore, this bullshit about methylene chloride strippers being better than other "enviro" strippers is not what ive found. the best stripper i found was a citrus based stripper. but ive noticed that there are a lot of citrus haters here on youtube. i'd say they were using bad quality brands of citrus strippers. and perhaps no good citrus strippers on sale at the moment other posts indicate a quality drop. i havent used any strippers for more than 10 years. the best stripper i ever used was a citrus stripper that i bought to give it a try and i was truly impressed. it ticked all the boxes. good depth, quick, softened all types of paint except old style french polish. i'm talking house paint strippers here, i need to point out. auto strippers are a different matter. the best of them wasnt a stripper, just an auto paint thinner. and not good for my health i might add.
Oh...em...geeeee!!!!! This video was absolutely #SUPER! THANK YOUUU for this review. I completely wasted my time with the Citristrip and unfortunately, at first, did not use the proper safety equipment while using this product. Love love LOOOVE this video and now I know exactly which stripper to buy! Thanks again!
Thank you for always going above and beyond to educate. I too thought Citristrip was "safer" so felt it was worth having to use more and leave it on longer. I'll be trying one of those other brands. Always look forward to your videos!
This was a very helpful video tutorial on furniture stripping. I used citrustrip last summer and boy was it ever a lot of work to get the paint removed! I've removed paint in the past and never had the amount of work and poor results I ended up having with Citrustrip. Your furniture turned out great!
THIS VIDEO ANSWERED ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAD ABOUT STRIPPERS. I BOUGHT CITRISTRIP ONCE AND DIDN'T LIKE THE RESULTS AT ALL. WHEN A STRIPPER DOESN'T DO THE JOB YOU NEED IT TO DO, YOUR PROJECT BECOMES WAY COSTLIER IN THE END. I TOO WAS MISGUIDED BY IT'S CLAIM OF BEING SAFTER.I HAVE SOME HEIRLOM PIECES I NEED TO USE STRIPPER ON. ALL THREE HAVE LEAD BASED PAINT ON THEM AND I'M HOPING FOR A RAPID STRIPPING SO I CAN GET TO FINISHING THEM. ALL PIECES ARE ANTIQUE. IT IS MY HOPE TO HAVE LIGHT COLORED STAIRN , BUT MAYBE THAT WON'T BE POSSIBLE. DARKER STRAIN PRETTY MUCH HELPS IN HIDING SOME OF THE DARKER THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO A FINISH. THANK YOU FOR DOING THE SIDE BY SIDE TESTS OF THE PAINT REMOVERS. I FOUND IT MORE THAN HELPFUL.
Thank you for this. I bought the citrus one but after watching this I will be taking it back. Since the health info is the same I would rather not have that stuff sitting over night.
Citrus strip contains a wax that is supposed to keep it from drying out. I found it to leave a slimy mess I could not remove even with alcohol as per the instructions. The others can be easily cleaned with mineral spirits. Good luck on refinishing over that residual mess.
Be certain to wear a good respirator mask and use nitrile gloves. Even if you are outside. The chemicals are dangerous to your health! Have fun and take your time on the vanity. I know you can do it!
@@FurnitureFlippingForProfit yes. I wear a respirator. I’ve stripped furniture before, but it’s been awhile. However….how can you pass up a $10 vanity, even if it’s painted purple. 😊. I’m glad I found your channel!
Great test although I have found Citrustrip works best when covered with plastic and allowed to sit for a minimum of 4 hours. Extra tip: leave the plastic wrap on while scraping, makes cleanup much easier. But thank you for the info as in the end with the safety being all the same the other two seem faster.
You will note in the video, I left plastic on the citri strip for 24 hours. I have always used plastic- yes it does work better. However, since there is no safety advantage to using citristrip, I am now using kwik strip. Today I stripped an entire vanity in less than 3 hours. With Citri strip it would have taken at least 24 hours.!
I completely agree she didn't use the overnight plastic like the manufacturer suggested. I found it works the same as the other two products with less effects on the environment and no VOC's like they produce. You can use what you want but i'll use the less volatile product and get the same results.
@@lvlnglgs I ended up trying the non green strippers and the odor was so vile I don't care how much faster they work, for myself and the planet I will stick with the low VOC strippers. My projects can wait a few hours. Better still I like to use my heat gun. Much faster and clean-up is a snap!
I will be trying out these other two strippers, I have found from my own testing that citristrip performed the best when allowed to sit for more than 12 hours. This may sound odd, but I often have many tasks in queue. Citristrip allows me to apply it and come back the next day without any concerns of a damaged finish while I tend to the other tasks that may be more time sensitive. I have tried other strippers that say they work in 15 minutes, and found that they needed overall more coats to get down to the base and are unsafe to leave on the surface for more than 30 minutes
Thanks for the test. I have a lot to strip . I bought a vanity from a seller and they said it was red cherry painted white. It turns out it was red cherry painted black and then white.
I used Citristrip years ago for a project and the stuff worked beautifully. Then two years ago I used it again and it didn't work nearly as well--it dried out despite being covered in plastic and was tacky and hard to remove. Found lots of reviews of people saying the same thing, so I wonder if they changed the formula.
Yes, I too have heard that it changed. Regardless, if you are using it (like I did) because you thought it was safer for you to use... well that is simply not true. I wear a good respirator and use the product that only takes 15 minutes instead of Citristrip which takes over night.
Same experience here, I've used it far in the past and it was great, I just tried it on something with 3 layers of paint and it barely worked at all. That's why I even got to this video, I was trying to see what will work better. It definitely has changed the formula, the old stuff would have cut right through both what I had and what she shows in the video.
Yep EPA banned a few of the main chemicals that were used in alot of paint strippers so the company's had to reformulate. One of the chemicals they banned was methylene chloride. It's what made alot of the old formulations work so good but supposedly pretty bad for you. The new formulations are garbage and don't work near as well as the old ones. They take much longer to work and often only remove a single layer of finish at a time if that.
Great video. This is what I was looking for. I use Kwik Strip but was curious about the Citrus one. So Kwik strip it is. I have 18 doors to do on one floor of my 100 year old Manner. This helps greatly. Thanks.
This is great info. I botched the paint job on a few interior doors and decided to strip them rather than buy new doors, so this was a perfect preview of what to expect and do. Would you know what would be a good material to lay on the ground to catch spills? I'm wondering how a regular tarpaulin vs. a cloth/canvas drop cloth would resist / react / absorb the stripper. Thank a mil for this comparison!
I open up tape together paper shopping bags lay them out or 2 or 3 layers of news paper under an old shower curtain or use a heavy plastic trash bag over it the plastic to prevent seeping through to the floor. Or you can put the paper on top I've been doing it for years just did a table like that worked like a charm
Good test! I miss methylene chloride. Yes, it was toxic if the vapors built up BUT it was fast and effective. The replacement is no as immediately toxic but it slowly kills your liver ...
Big difference! I have started stripping baseboards in an old house. Some idiot painted over stained wood! I used citricstrip. It's a total messy nightmare! Looks like I will he trying another product! Thanks! BTW the house is 106 years old.
Good stuff. I just wish i would have watched it before I shelled out the cash for Citristrip as it was kind of disappointing. I remember using Strypeeze many years ago with good results, but couldn't find it at my local hardware store.
I have been using 70% isopropyl alcohol on a antique door I'm stripping it doesn't stink bad and no harsh chemicals that cause health defects and it works well. I lay a paper towel over the area I am stripping then soak it then leave for an hour then come back to it soft and gooey, light scraping pulls up strips of paint. The door had 7 colors on it and all of it came up, it works much better if the alcohol is still wet or it hardens back up...though made it easy to clean.
Just FYI, I have been watching tons of videos about stripping furniture, from experts and beginners. Many people use saran wrap with the Citrus Stripper. Apparently that's vav game changer. Many has similar results and more difficult time with removal when no saran wrap was applied. But easy removal with saran wrapping
Hi Diana, I have used saran wrap with Citri strip for over a year. It still takes a very , very long time to strip furniture with Citri Strip compared to Quick Strip or Watco. I have been using Klean Strip (the replacement for Quick Strip) and been so very pleased because it works very fast. I only began using Citri strip in the first place because I thought it was safer to use. However, after reading the safety data sheets for all 3 of these products I found that Citri Strip is not any safer. It used to take me 24-48 hours to strip a piece of furniture with citri strip and now I can strip even the most detailed piece of furniture with Klean Strip in less than 4 hours. Please feel free to watch my videos that I produced in the past 3 months. Every one shows stripping furniture. Thanks for your comments and thanks for watching!
I'm glad to see this comparison. I was waiting for it! Those health warnings are exactly why we use broken pieces of glass to "scrape off" any finish down to bare wood. A respirator was and is also used. Done it this way for years.
There is a German fellow who does furniture restoration and he uses a stripper called Meyer that also has BA-uni added to the name. It is an overnight stripper, but it seems to take the paint off completely in one go. I can't find how to buy it in the US. I was wondering if anyone has seen a similar product.
I too thought that Citristrip was a safer option, I now know better. As far as how Citristrip performs, I have been greatly disappointed. My last project had 3 layers of paint and the original finish. I ended up with a purple hue on my wood possibly because of a chemical reaction with the original finish. The battle was won in the end and I have a beautiful library table (thanks to my husband).
I too thought it was. However, when you read the safety data sheet you will see that it has the same precautions listed as the others. Kwik Strip is SO much faster!!!
I just found a solution to stripping painted metal. I apply the stripper and wait. Then I use a small pressure washer. The paint comes off nicely. But does require a second coat in spots. But that is usually no matter what you strip.
If only every UA-camr were like you. This video brought tears to my eyes. No blathering and awful jokes. No technical terms. Excellent lighting and side by side comparison. And the icing on the cake? Just the right length for the video. You’re a national hero Ms. Lady.
Tears? Really?
@@diego_villena lol
Tears ? Tf
@@davida5053 Calm down. Do you take every comment on UA-cam literally?
@@diego_villena Yup! Not too often you get a well made review video.
I have a house built in 1932 that has 9 doors I have to strip and paint. They used to have a varnish underneath, and they each have a Baker's dozen layers of paint on them. This video was perfect! I use Watco for other wood products, I liked its results best in this experiment. Thank you for your hard work putting this video together!
Definitely the best, most concise diy video that I have seen. Very fair comparisons. Equal techniques. Great safety information included. She got to work right away on the process in her video without a lot of talk. Related to the viewer without talking like they needed to be hand held. Pleasant music during the downtime where things processed along without needing to make comments. Thanks!
I'm preparing to strip my kitchen cabinets and had no idea which stripper to use. Kwik Strip it is! Thanks for doing the work for me.
I love and appreciate how thorough you are in this comparison. I am pregnant and have been wanting to strip and repaint a crib that we got. Had I not watched this, I probably wouldn't have paid as much attention to the warning about the harmful chemicals causing health issues for an unborn child. I guess I'll just have to leave the stripping work to my hubby. And possibly the painting too. Have you heard of QCS? It's non-toxic. I called them to ask if it works on paint and they said that it has been found to work on older latex paints but not so much on the newer ones. Would love to get your opinion on it!
Fantastic - thank you for taking the time to show us these differences!
what a revelation to learn Citristrip is just as dangerous as the others. I too, bought it in the past because I thought it was safer. Lesson learned. End result is beautiful!!
Glad you found the info helpful! Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much for this demonstration!
Way back in the early 1980's I stripped all the woodwork in my house. That included the living room, dining room and front hall, the entire stairway, including steps, risers and two landings, and the upstairs hall. Altogether I did six doorways, four doors, six full size window frames, two small windows on the stairway and all the baseboard. Working at it on weekends, it took about 18 months. What can I say? I was young, ambitious and stupid. LOL! Before this I had already stripped several pieces of furniture that I rescued from junk shops.
While I did wear rubber gloves, I didn't use any of the other protective gear and I think I just put the debris into garbage bags. That was probably a bad idea even though nothing really terrible ever happened. Thank goodness. I will say -- for anyone who's never done this -- DO wear heavy rubber gloves and long sleeves. These chemicals burn if you happen to touch them. And wear clothes you do not care about, as well. The stripper does wash out and won't damage most cottons but I cannot guarantee they won't damage blends.
BTW, it's a great idea to put all the debris in a cardboard box. I hadn't thought of that.
Now it's been 40 years and I'm about to strip a side counter in my kitchen that is in front of an inset window. It's just a little project, about 2' by 4', but I think it would be a vast improvement showing the exposed wood. Plus, it was a mess before.
And I'm so glad I watched this video first. Besides the idea of using a cardboard box to hold the debris, it also shows how well paint tape protects areas you don't want to strip. I'd rather not have to repaint the walls around the area when I'm finished. They don't guarantee that it will protect from stripper so I'll still be careful along the edges. But I have it up. And, after watching your demonstration, I'm glad I did not buy the Citristrip. I thought about it before I saw this video but I happened to choose Kwik Strip.
BTW, I've never used mineral spirits to clean off the wood. I had just washed it with Pine-Sol then sanded it down. I know mineral spirits or turpentine is supposed to thin or remove any left over but it bothers me to mix the two chemicals.
Well, wish me luck. It's 3:20 a.m., but the day will be hot. So I plan to start in just a few minutes. And I'd rather do this while I can keep my windows open and the fan running.
UPDATE: I was wrong about the brand I'm using. Mine is called Klean Strip Premium Stripper. It also has the same warnings and directions. Waiting for the 2nd coat at this point. These old paints. Most are oil based and difficult.
Quick strip is now called Klean strip. The removed the chemical that used to burn your skin so the new strippers are less "painful" to use. Be certain to wear a good respirator and open all the windows! I always use LOTS of stripper and let it sit 15 minutes. Watch some of my more recent videos to get detailed info about how to strip furniture. thanks for watching!
Hands down the best tutorial, test, and educational video out there. Thank you.
Wow, thanks!
You did an excellent job with this video. Thank you for being so thorough! It was so helpful!
I have seen citristrip used with great success by applying a thick layer and then covering the whole area with a thick plastic trash bag and leaving it overnight. The layers of paint come off like melted butter. In my experience it seems to work just as well as the first two brands just a lot slower.
I've used it by placing cling wrap over it, but why bother? The only reason I used it was because I thought it was safer. If the other two work faster, then why not just use them in the first place? Unless it's just because of the pleasent smell that Citristrip offers?
I just bought Citristrip, because I also thought it was safer. I’ll pickup safety equipment in the morning. But, I may continue to use it. All I’m doing is removing the finish off a metal door, so I’m not trying to have perfect wood grain. Then I’ll sand, prime and paint.
I have to say this was the BEST stripper video I’ve seen. Thank you!! I know now what to buy and what to expect.
When I searched stripper videos this wasn't what I expected
Another amazing comparison, Cynthia. Thank you for testing these products so we don't have to! You are the best teacher, and such an inspiration!
Thanks Pam. I am glad that you find them helpful. I have always done comparisons like this for myself and I am glad to share my experience with my viewers to save you the trouble of doing it and hopefully save you money so you know the best one to purchase. Thanks for watching!
I went into this with a bias towards CitriStrip and you've rocked my world
what a totally on-point video. ask question. answer question with proof. debunk commonly held belief. thanks so much!
I needed this video. I used citri strip on an armoire a few months ago because it was advertised as the safer, easier option… the whole process was so tedious and frustrating that I set the project back into my storage unit and haven’t worked on ANY furniture since. With this video, I’m thinking I can go back and try again
Same! Wish I had seen this video two days ago after I spent several hours trying to strip a table with citristrip. Ugh.
Advertised as “safer” by who exactly? Maybe stop using social media as your information source…
Very well done video on stripping furniture. I thought Citristrip was safer than the others. This is insightful. Good to be reminded of why we use all these recommended safety wear. I wear it all. I’m gonna be using ONLY Watco & Kwickstrip in the future.
Hi Janice. I am glad that you liked the video! Please give it a thumbs up and please wear protective gear when you use the powerful chemicals.
Thanks for this very helpful video. The Kwik Strip has been discontinued. I have heard that Citristrip has changed formulas and doesn't work as it did in the past.
Thank you! This video was VERY helpful! I just spent 4 hours sanding a dresser a only got the top done 🤦🏻♀️
Thank you so much for this very detailed demonstration of all 3 products! I appreciate all of your time, hard work and thoughtful effort to bringing forth this content. The finished restoration piece looks amazing!
You are so welcome!
Very enlightening! I'm glad I didn't purchase that Citrus Strip that I was going to. I usually use Kwik Strip. Thanks for sharing this information. 🙂👍
You are welcome. Glad it helped! Please give the video a thumbs up to let UA-cam know that it has value.
I just discovered your channel. I’m impressed. Thanks for doing a thorough job in testing. These three strippers. I’ve used two of them and wasn’t thrilled with either of them. I think you may have saved me a lot of money!
Over the years I had stripped maybe five or six pieces with big gaps of time between. Last month I started stripping my cabinets in my kitchen just so that I could repaint them to match my newer cabinets that were added. There was the original finish plus two layers of paint that I knew of that had been done since the house was built in 58. I jumped on the citrusstrip bandwagon after watching several videos, unfortunately not comparison ones. What an unholy mess. I can't tell you how many hours I've put into this and still have many to go, just to clean them up so I can paint. I personally will never use citrus strip again. Thank you for the honesty and work you put into this I wish I had seen it earlier!!
I am working on a project and thanks to this video I am going to WalMart to pick up some Watco.
It's gorgeous!!! Thanks for the comparison. I've used Kwik Strip and Stripeze for years. I tried Citristrip years ago and found it did not work well at all. I've not tried Watco, but I will in the future. Thanks again. You did a great job on the bureau!
Thanks Ed!
That was very informative. I am presently using the watco on a dresser and was going to go and purchase the citrus (that’s what I normally would use) but after viewing this I will continue using the stinky watco stripper.
WOW, I love your channel! Very well-spoken, honest, and great production value of the vids. PLUS, you get the most beautiful pieces to refinish. I don't like MCM but wow this cabinet is beautiful. Thank you.
Great video! I use an empty paint can, if i have one, to put the stripped goo into. Then i put the lid on and take it to the toxic waste disposal provided for free by my county. Two or three dressers fits in one old paint can, and i have no trouble getting empty paint cans from people.
Very informative. Thank you for doing this video. Kwik Strip or Watco - I''ll remember that.
I bought citristrip in the past for the same reason. I will try the watco on my next project. Thanks!
This video was very helpful! I liked that you used the same conditions for each strippers. I went to Lowes looking for either Kwit or Watco and it only had Citristrip and Klean Strip Priemium Stripper. Totally inspired by you. I brought the Klean Striper was able to get one pair of chemical gloves there as well. So wish me luck on this one. I'm stripping a door and it has a few coats of paint on it. The directions say to leave it on 15 to 30 minutes then repeat if necessary and wash off with Minieral Spirits or a n abrasive pad.
If you got extra money, there's also non-toxic QCS spray. No mineral spirits needed. Just water.
Thanks for the video; very informative. I also noticed you started to clean the putty knife after each pass, a technique I learned as you don't want to force paint pigments into the wood fibers. The old Methylene Chloride strippers would have the paint bubbling in about 64 seconds. By the time you had it spread out, you be ready to start removing. They'd also do about 7 or eight layer of paint (often lead paint, which gets really hard) in one pass. Oh well; they were taken off the market by an overzealous regulatory system, so now you have to take about 10 times the amount of hours to get the job done. Thanks again and your work came out beautiful. I hope the piece finds a good home.
I just found a stripper that says meyhalene chloride actually and I was shocked.
@@brittnyblain9762 I'll bet it works great. Share if you can.
@@jazbuilding , do you have a death wish? it really is not good for you.
@@vsvnrg3263 I don't have a death wish. I'm not sure what you're talking about, but if it's in regard to Methalene Chloride paint strippers, then they are perfectly safe, when used correctly; like many things we take for granted in everyday life.
@@jazbuilding , if youve got a fume cupboard they might be safe for you. you seem to be in denial of what materials data sheets and government health and safety groups say about the stuff. furthermore, this bullshit about methylene chloride strippers being better than other "enviro" strippers is not what ive found. the best stripper i found was a citrus based stripper. but ive noticed that there are a lot of citrus haters here on youtube. i'd say they were using bad quality brands of citrus strippers. and perhaps no good citrus strippers on sale at the moment other posts indicate a quality drop. i havent used any strippers for more than 10 years. the best stripper i ever used was a citrus stripper that i bought to give it a try and i was truly impressed. it ticked all the boxes. good depth, quick, softened all types of paint except old style french polish. i'm talking house paint strippers here, i need to point out. auto strippers are a different matter. the best of them wasnt a stripper, just an auto paint thinner. and not good for my health i might add.
Any recommendation on which may work best on vertical spaces? Thanks!!
Thank you , great video. I was ready to buy the Citrus brand. I thought as you did, it would be safer than other brands. So glad I watched !
Glad it was helpful!
This video is perfect. It’s going to save me a ton of time and money. Thank you.
Oh...em...geeeee!!!!! This video was absolutely #SUPER! THANK YOUUU for this review. I completely wasted my time with the Citristrip and unfortunately, at first, did not use the proper safety equipment while using this product. Love love LOOOVE this video and now I know exactly which stripper to buy! Thanks again!
Thank you for always going above and beyond to educate. I too thought Citristrip was "safer" so felt it was worth having to use more and leave it on longer. I'll be trying one of those other brands. Always look forward to your videos!
Thanks for your comments Virginia-nice to hear from you again. Glad you liked this video- please give it a thumbs up!
This was a very helpful video tutorial on furniture stripping. I used citrustrip last summer and boy was it ever a lot of work to get the paint removed! I've removed paint in the past and never had the amount of work and poor results I ended up having with Citrustrip. Your furniture turned out great!
Thanks you Judy!
Good job, very helpful. Just purchased Kwik-strip yesterday.
This is outstanding. From a first time furniture refinisher, thank you so much!
It was helpful. The final job ended totally beautiful.
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Super informative, just what I needed to decide what was best for some old cabinets I'm renovating! Thank you 😎
Great job! I really enjoyed watching your process of removing the old paint using scrapers. Thank you for sharing your experience with the products.
Fantastic site-by-side comparison! Thank you for this! I learned a lot!
Wow this was a very informative video! Thank you so much! Will be buying either kiwk strip or watco!
love the comparison and the method. bought the citrus before watching this.
Excellent demonstration of paint stripping. Thanks.
Thank you for restoring this MCM piece. I hate to see these beautiful pieces of furniture covered over with paint. It looks fabulous!
I agree! Thank you!
THIS VIDEO ANSWERED ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAD ABOUT STRIPPERS. I BOUGHT CITRISTRIP ONCE AND DIDN'T LIKE THE RESULTS AT ALL. WHEN A STRIPPER DOESN'T DO THE JOB YOU NEED IT TO DO, YOUR PROJECT BECOMES WAY COSTLIER IN THE END. I TOO WAS MISGUIDED BY IT'S CLAIM OF BEING SAFTER.I HAVE SOME HEIRLOM PIECES I NEED TO USE STRIPPER ON. ALL THREE HAVE LEAD BASED PAINT ON THEM AND I'M HOPING FOR A RAPID STRIPPING SO I CAN GET TO FINISHING THEM. ALL PIECES ARE ANTIQUE. IT IS MY HOPE TO HAVE LIGHT COLORED STAIRN , BUT MAYBE THAT WON'T BE POSSIBLE. DARKER STRAIN PRETTY MUCH HELPS IN HIDING SOME OF THE DARKER THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO A FINISH. THANK YOU FOR DOING THE SIDE BY SIDE TESTS OF THE PAINT REMOVERS. I FOUND IT MORE THAN HELPFUL.
I like the music near the end during 2nd scraping all 3
Thank you for this. I bought the citrus one but after watching this I will be taking it back. Since the health info is the same I would rather not have that stuff sitting over night.
Klean strip or quik strip work SO fast! Just be certain to wear a good respirator and open all doors and windows.
Citrus strip contains a wax that is supposed to keep it from drying out. I found it to leave a slimy mess I could not remove even with alcohol as per the instructions. The others can be easily cleaned with mineral spirits. Good luck on refinishing over that residual mess.
That was a very good video. You have put me on the correct path.
This was very, very helpful! Thanks so much!
Thank you ! This is exactly the video I was needing to see.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for the comparison. I almost bought the citrus stripper. 👍
Very surprising. I too use Citrus strip. But it looks like this test shows me I should try the others.
I am currently stripping an old solid wood vanity I got for $10. It has multiple layers of paint. It’s a messy job!!! Thanks for the tutorial
Be certain to wear a good respirator mask and use nitrile gloves. Even if you are outside. The chemicals are dangerous to your health! Have fun and take your time on the vanity. I know you can do it!
@@FurnitureFlippingForProfit yes. I wear a respirator. I’ve stripped furniture before, but it’s been awhile. However….how can you pass up a $10 vanity, even if it’s painted purple. 😊. I’m glad I found your channel!
Great test although I have found Citrustrip works best when covered with plastic and allowed to sit for a minimum of 4 hours. Extra tip: leave the plastic wrap on while scraping, makes cleanup much easier. But thank you for the info as in the end with the safety being all the same the other two seem faster.
You will note in the video, I left plastic on the citri strip for 24 hours. I have always used plastic- yes it does work better. However, since there is no safety advantage to using citristrip, I am now using kwik strip. Today I stripped an entire vanity in less than 3 hours. With Citri strip it would have taken at least 24 hours.!
I completely agree she didn't use the overnight plastic like the manufacturer suggested. I found it works the same as the other two products with less effects on the environment and no VOC's like they produce. You can use what you want but i'll use the less volatile product and get the same results.
@@lvlnglgs I ended up trying the non green strippers and the odor was so vile I don't care how much faster they work, for myself and the planet I will stick with the low VOC strippers. My projects can wait a few hours. Better still I like to use my heat gun. Much faster and clean-up is a snap!
@@AskingSpot we dont care
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This is such an incredibly helpful video! Thank you so much❤
Fantastic video. Thank you for this very helpful video.
I will be trying out these other two strippers, I have found from my own testing that citristrip performed the best when allowed to sit for more than 12 hours.
This may sound odd, but I often have many tasks in queue. Citristrip allows me to apply it and come back the next day without any concerns of a damaged finish while I tend to the other tasks that may be more time sensitive.
I have tried other strippers that say they work in 15 minutes, and found that they needed overall more coats to get down to the base and are unsafe to leave on the surface for more than 30 minutes
THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU HELPED ME MAKE UP MY MIND. I HAVE THE WATCO AND THE KLEAN STRIP BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE. I WILL BE USING THE KLEAN STRIP...
Glad it was helpful! Just be certain to use the same woodstripper for the entire project!!!
This is an amazing video great job thank you for the information!
Thank you for this! I thought the same thing about Citristrip. The transformation was worth the hard work! You got a beautiful piece there.
You are so welcome!
Thanks for the test. I have a lot to strip . I bought a vanity from a seller and they said it was red cherry painted white. It turns out it was red cherry painted black and then white.
UGH!!!!! Just take your time and use a LOT of stripper. Be certain to wear a respirator and good gloves!!!
I used Citristrip years ago for a project and the stuff worked beautifully. Then two years ago I used it again and it didn't work nearly as well--it dried out despite being covered in plastic and was tacky and hard to remove. Found lots of reviews of people saying the same thing, so I wonder if they changed the formula.
Yes, I too have heard that it changed. Regardless, if you are using it (like I did) because you thought it was safer for you to use... well that is simply not true. I wear a good respirator and use the product that only takes 15 minutes instead of Citristrip which takes over night.
Same experience here, I've used it far in the past and it was great, I just tried it on something with 3 layers of paint and it barely worked at all. That's why I even got to this video, I was trying to see what will work better. It definitely has changed the formula, the old stuff would have cut right through both what I had and what she shows in the video.
Yep EPA banned a few of the main chemicals that were used in alot of paint strippers so the company's had to reformulate. One of the chemicals they banned was methylene chloride. It's what made alot of the old formulations work so good but supposedly pretty bad for you. The new formulations are garbage and don't work near as well as the old ones. They take much longer to work and often only remove a single layer of finish at a time if that.
Excellent explanation, testing and attention to detail. You rock 💪
Well done presentation. Great video technique and sound and the test was done very well. Thanks a LOT... 👍😉
Your video was excellent and very helpful!!!!!!!
Great info and content, congrats from a new follower from Morocco
Welcome aboard! YEAH!!! Another subscriber!!!! Thank you!
What a lot of work,,,but it turned out beautiful,,,,I love wood and paint..
Thank you very much!
I think that this is the best stripper comparison that I have seen.
Great video. This is what I was looking for. I use Kwik Strip but was curious about the Citrus one. So Kwik strip it is. I have 18 doors to do on one floor of my 100 year old Manner. This helps greatly. Thanks.
Thank you for this. The info is appreciated.
This is great info. I botched the paint job on a few interior doors and decided to strip them rather than buy new doors, so this was a perfect preview of what to expect and do. Would you know what would be a good material to lay on the ground to catch spills? I'm wondering how a regular tarpaulin vs. a cloth/canvas drop cloth would resist / react / absorb the stripper. Thank a mil for this comparison!
I open up tape together paper shopping bags lay them out or 2 or 3 layers of news paper under an old shower curtain or use a heavy plastic trash bag over it the plastic to prevent seeping through to the floor. Or you can put the paper on top I've been doing it for years just did a table like that worked like a charm
Interesting, I’ve never used Watco, but I’ve become very unhappy with CitriStrip, thanks so much for this comparison.
Thank you! Very helpful video.
would like to see how Jasco stacks up
Excellent video, do you know if it works the same on painted concrete?
Good test!
I miss methylene chloride. Yes, it was toxic if the vapors built up BUT it was fast and effective. The replacement is no as immediately toxic but it slowly kills your liver ...
Big difference! I have started stripping baseboards in an old house. Some idiot painted over stained wood! I used citricstrip. It's a total messy nightmare! Looks like I will he trying another product! Thanks! BTW the house is 106 years old.
Can you use this on wood stairs and stringers?
Good stuff. I just wish i would have watched it before I shelled out the cash for Citristrip as it was kind of disappointing. I remember using Strypeeze many years ago with good results, but couldn't find it at my local hardware store.
Nice one! (leave the cartoons out on the next one!) x
I only did it on this one video. My newer videos are much different. Thanks for watching
Thanks for all the information i will be going with Watco
I have been using 70% isopropyl alcohol on a antique door I'm stripping it doesn't stink bad and no harsh chemicals that cause health defects and it works well.
I lay a paper towel over the area I am stripping then soak it then leave for an hour then come back to it soft and gooey, light scraping pulls up strips of paint. The door had 7 colors on it and all of it came up, it works much better if the alcohol is still wet or it hardens back up...though made it easy to clean.
thanks i will try it
Thanks for this video. I used CitrusStrip several years ago and found it extremely frustrating. My go to now has been Kwikstrip.
Glad it helped!
Have always used quick strip
Just FYI, I have been watching tons of videos about stripping furniture, from experts and beginners. Many people use saran wrap with the Citrus Stripper. Apparently that's vav game changer. Many has similar results and more difficult time with removal when no saran wrap was applied. But easy removal with saran wrapping
Hi Diana, I have used saran wrap with Citri strip for over a year. It still takes a very , very long time to strip furniture with Citri Strip compared to Quick Strip or Watco. I have been using Klean Strip (the replacement for Quick Strip) and been so very pleased because it works very fast. I only began using Citri strip in the first place because I thought it was safer to use. However, after reading the safety data sheets for all 3 of these products I found that Citri Strip is not any safer. It used to take me 24-48 hours to strip a piece of furniture with citri strip and now I can strip even the most detailed piece of furniture with Klean Strip in less than 4 hours. Please feel free to watch my videos that I produced in the past 3 months. Every one shows stripping furniture. Thanks for your comments and thanks for watching!
I'm glad to see this comparison. I was waiting for it! Those health warnings are exactly why we use broken pieces of glass to "scrape off" any finish down to bare wood. A respirator was and is also used. Done it this way for years.
Hi Deb- glad you found the video's helpful!
super helpful!!!!! thank u for this comparison
Glad it was helpful!
Same Recommendation for PAINTED Kitchen cabinets??
I found this video to be very informative. I too thought that citrustrip was less harmful, thank you for the tips.
You are welcome. Glad you found it helpful!
Wow!!! Thank you for this video!!
Glad it was helpful!
There is a German fellow who does furniture restoration and he uses a stripper called Meyer that also has BA-uni added to the name. It is an overnight stripper, but it seems to take the paint off completely in one go. I can't find how to buy it in the US. I was wondering if anyone has seen a similar product.
I too thought that Citristrip was a safer option, I now know better. As far as how Citristrip performs, I have been greatly disappointed. My last project had 3 layers of paint and the original finish. I ended up with a purple hue on my wood possibly because of a chemical reaction with the original finish. The battle was won in the end and I have a beautiful library table (thanks to my husband).
I too thought it was. However, when you read the safety data sheet you will see that it has the same precautions listed as the others. Kwik Strip is SO much faster!!!
Exactly the video I was looking for! Great edit!
I just found a solution to stripping painted metal. I apply the stripper and wait. Then I use a small pressure washer. The paint comes off nicely. But does require a second coat in spots. But that is usually no matter what you strip.
Does is work on pinewood surface as well?