How To Remove Lacquer From Wood: Tips And Tricks

When you love something so much that you want to own it forever, you might consider lacquer as a finishing option. In fact, this is one of the most common ways to finish wooden furniture pieces. But what if you change your mind after some time and want to remove the lacquer? Is it possible? How do you get rid of that sticky, glossy surface and expose the wood once again? Sure you cannot damage the piece with chemicals. In this post, we will show you how to remove lacquer from wood and bring back its natural beauty.

How To Remove Lacquer From Wood?

1. Remove the lacquer

In order to remove the lacquer from wood, you first have to remove its protective coating. The best way to do this is by using high-quality sandpaper. You can use a coarse or fine grade of sandpaper for this job, but for best results, you should use a fine grade of sandpaper.

2. Scrub the surface with water

After you have removed the protective coating from your wooden surface with sandpaper, you will need to scrub it with water in order to get rid of any residue left behind. Make sure that you get your wood and apply some pressure while scrubbing it with your hand or a stiff brush. Be sure that you are not scrubbing too hard as this can damage your piece of furniture.

3. Wash the surface thoroughly

Once you have finished scrubbing the surface of your wooden furniture piece, make sure that it is completely clean before moving on to step 4. If there are still any traces of lacquer on it, then repeat steps 1 and 2 until all residue has been removed from your piece of furniture.

4. Apply wax and polish it with a soft cloth

Now that all traces of lacquer have been removed from your wood, it’s time to apply some wax so as to protect its natural beauty and bring back its natural luster once again! This is where many people go wrong when trying to remove lacquer from wood – they use harsh chemicals instead of wax. You can use wax or polish to remove lacquer from wood, but if you want to save yourself some time and effort, then it’s best to use wax. To apply wax to your surface, first, make sure that it is completely dry. Then apply some of the wax onto the surface of your furniture piece with a soft cloth and rub it over the entire surface in one direction. In order to get rid of any remaining residue, repeat this process two more times until all traces of wax are gone. Then you can move on to polishing the piece with a soft cloth.

5. Polish your wood with a soft cloth

Once you have applied wax onto your wooden furniture piece, it’s now time for you to polish it using a soft cloth in order for its finish to be brought back into its natural state again! If you have used an oil-based polish on your wood, then after polishing it with a soft cloth you should wash it off using water before moving on to step 6.

6. Wash off the polish with water and apply another coat of wax

Once you have polished your wooden furniture piece using a soft cloth and washed off all traces of polish using water, then make sure that all traces of wax are gone as well by repeating steps 4 and 5 until there are no more oily residues left on the surface of your wooden furniture piece!

7. Apply another coat of polish or clear lacquer

Once you have cleaned off all traces of wax or polish from your wooden furniture piece, it is now time for you to apply another coat of polish or clear lacquer onto your wood in order to protect it from further scratches and other damage. You can use either a paste wax or a clear lacquer, depending on the type of wood that you are using to protect your surface.

8. Polish and buff the piece one last time

It’s now time for you to polish and buff the piece one last time so as to bring back its natural luster once again! If you have used paste wax on your wooden furniture piece, then after polishing it with a soft cloth, make sure that all traces of paste wax are gone by repeating steps 5 and 6 until there are no more oily residues left on the surface of your furniture piece. Then wash off the polishing agent with water before moving on to step 9.

9. Apply another coat of polish or clear lacquer

Once you have washed off all traces of the polishing agent from your wooden furniture piece, then make sure that all traces of paste wax are gone by repeating steps 5 and 6 until there are no more oily residues left on the surface your wood! Then apply another coat of wax onto your wooden furniture piece using a soft cloth in order for it to be protected from further damage.

10. Apply another coat if necessary

If you have applied two coats of wax onto your wooden furniture piece in step 9, then you will need to apply another coat of wax onto your wooden furniture piece in order for it to be protected from further damage.

What Are The Features Of Lacquer?

1. It is easy to apply
2. It can be easily removed
3. It has a shiny and glossy finish

What Are The Advantages Of Lacquer?

1. It is much easier to apply than wax
2. It does not require any buffing or polishing after it has dried for a few hours
3. Less mess than wax

What Are The Disadvantages Of Lacquer?

1. Its finish can only be achieved by applying two coats of polish or clear lacquer over it, which means that it takes longer to dry and consequently takes more time to fully cure before being able to be moved around your furniture piece
2. It is harder to remove than wax

Why Should You Not Use Lacquer?

1. It can only be used on wooden furniture pieces that are less than one year old and that have been manufactured in the last five years
2. It can only be used on wooden furniture pieces that are less than two years old
3. Do not apply it onto any piece of wood that is not made from oak

What Is The Difference Between Clear Lacquer And Polish?

Clear lacquer: The finish on your wooden furniture piece will be glossy and shiny as opposed to a dull, matte finish with polish

Polish: The finish on your wooden furniture piece will be shiny and glossy as opposed to a dull, matte finish with clear lacquer

Final Words

Lacquer is used a lot for decorative finishes on wood pieces like tables or chairs. However, it can be challenging to remove lacquer from wood because it’s not chemically bonded to the surface. Fortunately, there are a few different ways you can use to remove lacquer from wood, including spraying lacquer thinner on the surface and scraping it off with a putty knife.

FAQ’s

Q. What are the different types of wood finishes?

A. There are three main types of wood finishes to choose from lacquer, shellac, and wax.

Q. Which one is suitable for furniture?

A. Lacquer is the most commonly used type of finish on furniture because it has a glossy, shiny finish that can be easily removed with a damp cloth or with water alone. It is also waterproof, which means that your furniture piece will not get damaged from water damage caused by spills or rain. However, if your furniture piece is made from teak or mahogany and you want to get a more natural-looking finish than lacquer then you will need to use Shellac instead since it does not have any chemical additives in its composition which would harm the natural beauty of your wooden piece (like lacquer does). However, Shellac can still be very damaging to your wooden piece if it’s not applied correctly so make sure you follow the instructions in our article on How To Apply Shellac On Wood Furniture.

Q. Which one is suitable for outdoor furniture?

A. If you’re looking for an outdoor wood finish that can withstand rain and sunlight, then you should choose lacquer because it’s more weatherproof than shellac and wax finishes which both tend to chip off over time when exposed to direct sunlight or rainwater (like shellac can do). Also, because lacquer has no chemical additives in its composition unlike wax and shellac, it doesn’t leave stains or marks on your wood furniture piece (like wax and shellac can).