pastewax removal

[woj product]

Hey, all. I'm a long time lurker and general sponge of info from this group.

I just bought my first house ( 1 1/2 story, built in 1918), and am working on what feels like a dozen projects at once. One of the many things I've done so far is removed the (hideous) carpeting from the stairs leading to the 2nd floor.

My goal is to strip the treads down to bare wood and stain them nice and dark, and hit them with some polyurathane to really get them to shine.

The only problem so far is, the previous finish is paste wax. So far, I've been using a palm sander w/ 60 grit, and while that does work, it takes forever and the sandpaper gets clogged almost instantly.

I'm wondering if hitting the old finish with a solvent (mineral spirits?) would disolve the wax, or if that would just make a big old mess.

Any advice is appreciated in advance.

[Sant'Agata]

First try ammonia, dry and check with your sander. Next, try mineral spirits with white paper towels. Keep checking until the towels come up clean. Dispose of them in a metal container with water. Then return to sanding with 100 grit and see if it makes the job easier. Otherwise, use liquid stripper, or lacquer thinner or both in that order. These failing, try a flat iron with paper towels to absorb the wax. If there was no finish other than wax, it is certain to be deep, and will need to be removed for a finish such as poly to stick. If there was a finish, it will need to be stripped unless you are patient enough to sand for weeks.

Frank

[SofaKing]

You need to use mechanical cuttting force The abasive is the wrong choice here. You could try a paint scraper (might be too rough) or you could also try a cabinet scraper. It's basically a thin piece of metal about 4X6 inches costs about $3. Use a flat file to sharpen the long edge to 90 degrees and then use a screwdriver shaft to burnish it (curl the sharpened edges). It will never clog, it may dull, you won't get any dust -- just shavings. Your lungs will thank you.You'll need plenty of elbow grease. Lee Valley (among others) also makes and sells various holders for dragging the blades. Hint: a thicker blade will cut heavier and a thinner blade will do delicate work. Believe it or not a lot of woodworkers never (or judiciously) use sandpaper and can obtain mirror finishes by scraping and planing.

[nospambob]

[WebsterSteve]

Naphtha will take of the wax.

[norminn]

You'd be better off in the long run to use paint remover. I dislike water wash paint remover. Strypeeze, semi paste or like - solvent wash. With only varnish on the stairs, two applications would likely be sufficient. Nice weather job so's you can open the windows. First app will get the varnish and some stain. Second will get most of the stain. Scrape off (gently, so's you don't gouge the wood), swipe with med steel wool. On second app, do the same, then use fine steel wool with mineral spirits to clean it thoroughly - scrub it with some pressure and then wipe dry with rags or paper towel. Dispose of waste and ms rags right away. Shouldn't need to sand unless the wood is already damaged, as the steel wool leaves it pretty smoothe.

ms is good solvent for was, but if varnishing I'd use stripper to be sure you get everything off. If wax and NO varnish, wax has probably permeated the wood somewhat. Stripper should dissolve it, as the stripper has wax in it to give it body.

[norminn]

Naptha highly flammable. I wouldn't try it.

[The Good Bohemian]

Alcohol will break down the wax very well. I used the widely avail. Methyl Hydrate. HTH

Andrew.

[Richard J Kinch]

Aaack! No! Highly poisonous fumes!

[Richard J Kinch]

Just keep ignition sources out of the area, it will work fine.

People carry it around in their pockets, you know. And put pressurized quarts of it next to a big flame.

[Baron]

Any hydrocarbon solvent such as paint thinner, mineral spirits, or naphtha will dissolve the wax. You will need to use many clean heavy duty paper towels or cleaning cloths so you actually remove the wax and not just spread it around. Obviously, you would be working with a flammable solvent so any and all sources of ignition should be removed and you should have plenty of good ventilation. You might even consider using a respirator if you are doing many of the treads at once.

In theory, sanding or scraping properly will eventually get rid of the wax. Of course, sanding will also remove at least 1/16" of wood. Scraping is not as destructive but you are still removing wood. Sanding or scraping is a very poor way to remove wax when you know how easy it can be with the proper solvent. Household ammonia will work but with much more effort and the fumes from that much ammonia can be a hazard. Alcohols such as methanol do not dissolve wax. They cause it to precipitate which, in this case, will cause it to remain on the wood. Paint and finish strippers do very little to remove wax. It is a classic error to try to strip a piece of its finish without cleaning it first. The wax on the piece prevents the stripper from getting to the finish.

As for refinishing with polyurethane, there are two issues. The first is that no matter how thorough you are, there will be some wax left on the treads. You should seal the treads with dewaxed shellac before putting on the topcoat. Second, polyurethane can be pretty slippery. I do not think I would use it as is on stairs. There are some additives that you can use to give you the slip resistance that you should have on stairs.

Good Luck.

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