Stripping wood painted furniture for staining?

[GaetanoL]

I have a desk that's painted white, and my wife wants me to strip and stain it. What's the best approach for this?

Should I use a chemical stripper to get the paint off? Or, should I sand it off? I have a random orbital sander, a mouse sander, and I can borrow a belt sander.

Or do I use some combination, like using a stripper for most of it, then sanding the crevices and stuff the stripper didn't get to?

Thanks.

[marksr]

You want to start with a chemical stripper but you will need to finish with sandpaper. Don't use the belt sander!

But before you start, think your plan thru and be prepared to find paint grade wood that might not look so good stained. Unless this is a piece that originally had a stained/natural finish, your likely to find a mis match of wood along with wood not preferred for staining which can complicate trying to get a fairly uniform look out of the stain.

How old is the desk?

[GaetanoL]

The desk is not that old. Maybe 15 years old.

I think your assumption about the wood makes perfect sense.

So, if I just want to prepare it for a new primer and paint, what's the best approach? Do I still need to strip to bare wood?

If I sand it, can I use my other sanders I mentioned?

Thanks.

[marksr]

If you paint, a good scuff sanding is pretty much all that is needed. Your sanders should do fine. If you decide to use a latex paint, you should first prime the piece with a solvent based primer. That will insure the latex will bond to the current finish.

[GaetanoL]

Recommendation for grit of sand paper to use?

[marksr]

Unless there are bad spots that need to be sanded off, 150-180 should work well. I wouldn't use anything finer than 220 grit. If you need a more aggressive grit for the sanding, follow that with a finer grit to remove the sanding scratches.