How to remove paint from wood (veneer)

[Wilhelmina Randtke]

I got a dresser today, which pretty nice, but sadly was the victim of a misguided upcycle and was painted.  Painting wood - this is always a bad idea.

The dresser appears to be 1940s, with a veneer over wood.  I think the veneer is mahagony, but not sure.  It is something with a smooth texture - not oak or anything with a deep grain.

Whoever painted it used latex paint over an oil based varnish.  So the paint is not bonded well, and where it is loose, it peels off pretty well.  Some parts of the front are carved, so I can't use a paint scraper there.

How should I remove the paint?

If I use mineral spirits, is that going to do anything to the varnish? 

Is there a good alternative that will get at the latex paint, but leave the oil based varnish, so that I can do a quick revamp but not have to refinish this thing?

-Wilhelmina Randtke

[mike perez]

My wife does this a lot. She uses the mineral spirits to remove paint
but she also always sands the wood after removing the paint. So im
gonna guess that yes, the varnish will be removed. Im guessing you'll
want to revarnish old pieces anyways however?

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[Wilhelmina Randtke]

I'd rather not revarnish, or at least put it off a few years.

Will the mineral spirits damage the veneer?  I've only refinished solid wood before.

-Wilhelmina

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[Jeremy Z]

What about using heat? I've seen that done with removal of paint from a house?

I'll ask a friend of mine that builds furniture. If she knows anything, I'll pass it along.

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[Donald Greer]

EZ Off and a great gun. Shouldn't mess up the glue, but it will take it Dow to bare wood.

Test it on a small out of the way spot first to make sure it doesn't mess with the glue.

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[kc koellein]

Totally second the heatgun . A heat gun eats latex paint for breakfast. Haven't tried EZ-Off. Doubt you'll need it. Latex paint is a piece of cake. Get some dental picks from Harbor Freight to get the detail spots. Hopefully, whatever drove the old owner to paint it, isn't too bad to fix, though!

good luck!

K9SPY

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