Usually, painting wood surfaces is easy, but removing paint from wood surfaces is a difficult task. For removing paint from the wood, you need to select a perfect paint stripper for doing the job the right way.
Hi there, how are you doing today? Are you looking for the best paint stripper for wood? If yes, then you’re in the right place!

There are so many paint strippers available on the market, but all are not effective on wood surfaces. If you’d like to remove paint from wood with a paint stripper, you need to select a paint stripper that only designed for wood properties.
It seems like a difficult task: isn’t it? Yeah, it is a difficult task, but don’t be worry: we are here to help you out. In this post, we are going to review the top 7 paint strippers for wood.
So, if you’re looking for a high-quality paint stripper for removing paint from wood, you can read this guide and then purchase one that’s ideal for your project. Let’s get into the product review section.
Pick Your Best Paint Strippers for Wood
- Best Overall: D Super Remover Paint Stripper (Quart – 32oz) (See Price)
- Best for Removing Several Layers: Sunnyside 658G1A Ready-Strip (See Price)
- Best for the Money: Dumond Chemicals, Inc. 3332 Smart Strip (See Price)
- Best Varnish Stripper No-Drip Gel: MAX Strip Varnish Stripper (See Price)
- Best Stripping Gel for Wood and Metal: Citristrip QCSG801 (See Price)
- Best Multi-Strip Paint & Varnish Remover: Sunnyside 657G1A (See Price)
- Best Paint and Varnish Stripper Spray: Klean Strip Paint Stripper (See Price)
What Is a Paint Stripper or Paint Remover?
Typically, a paint stripper or paint remover is a chemical-based product that removes paint, coatings, and finishes from many types of materials, including wood, metal, concrete, plastic, and more. These products remove paint without damages.
Top 7 Best Paint Stripper for Wood Reviews
We have come up with 7 paint strippers for wood that will be very efficient considering all aspects. Let’s check the reviews and make up mind for particular one.
1. D Super Remover Paint Stripper for Wood – Removes All Type of Paints
This D Super Remover Paint Stripper is methylene chloride, NMP, or any other highly toxic chemicals-free. If you are looking for a fast working paint stripper, you can go for this D Super Remover Paint Stripper. It starts working in just 15 minutes and able to remove up to 5 layers in one application.
The paint stripper efficiently removes oil paints, latex paints, varnishes, epoxies, shellacs, lacquers, and polyurethanes. The paint remover is super easy to use: you can pour a thick coat of this paint remover directly on the surface, wait for 15 minutes, then you can use plastic, metal, or wooden spatula, or a scraper to remove the paint, if needed, you can repeat the process tow or three times.
However, it is a commercial paint stripper for wood, and it is ideal for all types of paint stripping jobs. Overall, it is chemical-free, safe for you and your materials, so if you want a safe wood paint stripper, you can purchase this product.
Key Features:
- It is methylene chloride, NMP, and highly toxic chemicals-free
- Works super fast: works in 15 minutes
- Able to remove five layers in one application
- Ideal for removing oil paints, latex paints, varnishes, epoxies, shellacs, lacquers, and polyurethanes
- Perfect for all types of paint stripping jobs
Next Read: The Best Power Paint Roller Options Reviews
2. Sunnyside Ready-Strip ADVANCED Paint & Varnish Remover
This Sunnyside Ready-Strip ADVANCED Paint & Varnish Remover is our second pick, and it is yet another great paint stripper for wood. It’s a multipurpose Paint & Varnish Remover that is methylene chloride or NMP free.
The product is perfect for removing paints, varnishes, stains, lacquers & urethanes as well. It is safe for you and your items because it doesn’t contain methylene chloride or NMP.
However, this Sunnyside Ready-Strip ADVANCED Paint & Varnish Remover begins working in 60 minutes, and it can remove up to seven layers of paint, varnish, stain, lacquer & urethane coatings. Therefore, the product has more than 1k+ reviews on Amazon & most of the customers are happy with it.
Key Features:
- The product doesn’t contain methylene chloride or NMP
- It can remove paints, varnishes, stains, lacquers & urethanes
- Able to remove seven layers of coatings
- It has 1.1k plus reviews on Amazon
3. Dumond Chemicals Inc. Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover
This Dumond Chemicals Inc. Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover doesn’t contain methylene chloride. It is non-carcinogenic, non-toxic & non-caustic, which means it is safe for your materials, you, and the environment.
The paint stripping product is ideal for removing paint from both interior and exterior brick, stone, concrete, plaster, metal, plastic, glass, fiberglass, wood, and more. It’s a water-based stripper that you can easily apply with a brush, roller, or conventional airless sprayer.
However, this paint remover product takes about 3 to 24 hours to start working, but it can remove up to 15 layers of coatings. And then, it has more than 1.6k reviews on Amazon, and almost 60% of reviews are five out of five.
Key Features:
- It is safe for you, your materials, and the environment
- Removes 15 layers of coatings
- Ideal for interior and exterior wood, brick, stone, concrete, plaster, metal, plastic, glass, fiberglass
- Has 1.6k reviews on Amazon
4. MAX Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper- 1 Gallon
MAX Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper is non-toxic and skin-safe paint and varnish stripper. It is perfect for DIY and professional projects. The product comes in a 1-gallon plastic container, and it will cost you under $50.
The paint and varnish stripper product is ideal for removing paint & varnish from the furniture, windows, brick, ceramic, flooring, granite, marble, glass, laminate, fiberglass, metal, wood, porcelain, plastic, concrete, stone, tile, carpet, rugs, upholstery, clothing, and more.
However, if you’re searching for a skin-safe and toxic-free multi-purpose paint stripper for your next paint removing projects, you can try this product.
Key Features:
- The product doesn’t contain toxic chemicals like Methylene Chloride and NMP
- It is skin-safe
- Works well on different types of surfaces
- Ideal for professional & commercial use
5. Citristrip 1-Gallon Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel
If you’re searching for the safest & super easy use paint & varnish stripper for medium and large projects, then you can check this Citristrip 1-Gallon Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel.
The stripping gel can remove multi-layers of coatings, but it will take 24 hours to start working. It efficiently removes dried latex and oil-based paint, varnish, lacquer, shellac, polyurethane, and more from the wood, metal, and masonry surfaces.
This Citristrip 1-Gallon Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel has more than 3k reviews on Amazon, and most of the users are happy with its quality. So, if you want to select it to remove paint from your wood surfaces, you can purchase it without thinking twice.
Key Features:
- It is safe & easy to use
- Removes multiple layers of coatings
- Removes dried latex and oil-based paint, varnish, lacquer, polyurethane, and shellac
- It has 3k+ customer reviews on Amazon
6. Sunnyside 657G1A Multi-Strip ADVANCED Paint and Varnish Remover
This Sunnyside 657G1A Multi-Strip ADVANCED Paint and Varnish Remover is the second paint stripping product in our list from the brand Sunnyside. It’s a professional-grade paint and varnish remover that is made without methylene chloride or NMP.
It can efficiently remove paint, varnish, stain, lacquer, and urethane as well. Therefore, it works super fast: It takes 30 minutes to start work and removes up to 15 layers of paint, varnish, stain, lacquer, and urethane coatings.
However, you can apply this paint remover with a brush, medium-sized nap paint roller, or putty knife, and it is ideal for interior and exterior surfaces: including brick, stone, masonry, marble, metal, wood, plaster, concrete, and veneers.
Key Features:
- Ideal for removing paint from wood, plaster, concrete, brick, stone, masonry, marble, metal, and veneers
- Made without methylene chloride or NMP
- Works super fast
- Super easy to apply
7. Klean Strip Green Paint & Varnish Stripper Spray
The Klean Strip Green Paint & Varnish Stripper Spray is our last pick, and it comes with two chemical-resistant gloves. This varnish & paint stripper spray has no Methylene Chloride or N-Methylpyrrolidone, which means it is safe for use on indoor surfaces.
Therefore, this versatile stripper spray works well on almost all kinds of paints. With this paint stripping spray, you can remove multi-layers of latex-based paint, oil-based paint, varnish, lacquer, wax, and stain from your metal, wood, and masonry surfaces.
However, with this product, after applying it, you need to wait for 30 minutes: after 30 minutes, you can remove the paint from your surfaces. So, if you need a paint stripper spray for wood, you can purchase this Klean Strip Green Paint & Varnish Stripper Spray.
Key Features:
- It comes in a spray bottle
- Super easy to apply & works fast
- Works well on all kind of paint
- The product comes with two chemical-resistant gloves
Things to Consider when Buying a Paint Stripper for Wood Surfaces
Before buying a paint stripper for your wooden projects, there are some factors that you need to pay attention to. If you don’t take care of these factors properly, you may end up regretting your half-finished projects. So, take a look at the things that you need to consider when buying a paint stripper.
Safe for the Surface: The first thing you need to do is check whether the product is safe for the surface or not. Paint strippers contain formulas that weaken the paint adhesion to the surface, and some of the ingredients of these formulas may affect the wooden surface.
For example, a strong alkaline is usually present in caustic paint removers and it may react with the wood. So, you may end up getting stained or scorched wood as a result if you are working on hardwood surfaces like Maple, Mahogany, and some old Oaks.
If the paint stripper harms the wooden surface, then what’s the point of using that product anymore? So, you should check carefully if the product is suitable for the wooden surface or not. If it is suitable, you are ready to examine the following factors.
VOCs and Safety: No matter which product you are working with, safety should be your first concern. And before talking about safety let’s talk about VOCs first.
VOCs refer to volatile organic compounds. These compounds are considered to be dangerous for health, especially if it is present in the air that you breathe in. You can get eye, nose, and throat irritation as a result.
Some paint strippers may emit high VOCs while using. That would be a serious problem if you are working on an indoor project. It will be even worse in absence of proper ventilation.
That’s why you should avoid paint strippers that contain methylene chloride which is known to produce high VOCs. And one more thing, you should always try to work outdoors when you are dealing with products containing VOCs.
Here are some other safety tips for different types of paint strippers.
- If you are using solvents for stripping the paint, wear protective goggles, a respirator, special gloves for chemicals, and protective clothing. The toxic fumes can cause damage to the brain. It can affect the reproductive system as well.
- If you are using strippers with low-VOCs, then only respirator and protective gloves are recommended. However, caustic products can cause eyes and skin irritation, so wear the same safety equipment like the one recommended for solvent strippers. And for biochemical, though they are considered to be less dangerous, still take precautions and wear the same outfit.
Paint Strippers for Different Paint Types: The wooden surface could have been painted with different types of paint like oil-based, epoxy, water-based, and the likes. A single paint stripper may not work well with all kinds of paints. That’s why you need to look for different types of paint strippers that will suit your project best.
- Solvent paint strippers will work well on polyurethane and epoxy. A good thing is that they will not discolor wooden surfaces.
- Caustic paint strippers work best on oil-based paints on a masonry surface. They can remove oil-based and water-based paints from wood surfaces as well. However, they can affect the color of the wood if you are working on old Oak or Maple wood surfaces. They are not effective on polyurethane or epoxy.
- Zero-VOC paint strippers will work for removing water-based and oil-based paints from wood surfaces. However, they will not work quite well on polyurethane and epoxy.
- Biochemical paint stripperswork on oil-based and water-based paints on wood surfaces. They are not good for polyurethane and epoxy.
Easy and Cost-Saving Application: You should look for a product that offers easy application and requires less in amount because this will ultimately decide the cost of your project. The more the product needed the more the cost.
And the application process matters a lot as well. You don’t want to spend hours just to strip the paint. So, the conditions will be three: easy application, lesser amount, and time saving.
Though it’s quite impossible to find everything on a single paint stripper, you need to do the math and choose a paint stripper that satisfies the conditions the most.
How Does Paint Stripper Work on Wood?
The basic working principle of a paint stripper is that the molecules of its active ingredients penetrate the paint film. As a result, the bond between the surface and the paint gets broken and the paint layer gets separated from the surface ultimately.
Do Paint Strippers Harm Timber?
Yes, some paint strippers do minimal harm to the timber. Though it’s not considered to be harmful, some paint strippers like the caustic ones are known to react with the wood surface and stain or scorch the wood.
However, other paint strippers like the solvent types are not harmful for wood. They do not discolor the surface and neither do they do any damage to it.
Does Paint Stripper Destroy Fabric Clothes?
Generally speaking: no, paint strippers will not destroy your clothes. Fun thing is that some products can be used to get rid of the paints from your clothes. But we are leaving a disclaimer that you should check whether the paint stripper will harm your clothes or not. You can do that by simply checking the resources provided by the manufacturer.
If the manufacturer advises you to take precautions, you should follow it. But if there is no restriction, then you can use the product without worrying too much.
Is It Better to Sand or Strip Wood?
Stripping is better than sanding; this would be the straightforward answer. Sanding may look quite easy, at least for small projects, but it won’t be that effective for large projects.
Plus one thing we can say with confidence that sanding is very time consuming and it’s loud. If you are not an expert, you may end up with an uneven finish that you will hate every day. You may need to wear a mask as well because it’s going to be dusty too.
On the other hand, stripping the paint is way easier and requires less time and effort. All you need to do is just stay calm and let the paint stripper do its job. There is one down side though; stripping the paint will be messy for sure.
Do You Have to Clean Wood after Stripping Paint?
Yes, you need to clean the wood after stripping the paint. Before you move on to next phases like painting or staining, make sure you clean the paint residue properly. And some paint strippers may contain some chemicals that can cause eyes, throat, or nose irritation so the faster you get rid of these stuff the better.
The best advice to clean the surface after stripping the paint would be to follow the instructions provided by the product manufacturer.
How Long after Stripping Can I Paint?
The exact time for applying a new layer of paint after stripping may vary. It’s best to ask a local expert for this. But there are things that you need to do before slapping paint onto the surface. And after completing them, you will get rough ideas about the waiting time.
- First, you need to sand the surface to remove the leftover paints and this will help in preparing the surface as well. You can get an even paint finish if you can ensure a good sanding.
- Next, you need to look for cracks and other imperfections and repair them using wood putty. After that, you need to sand the repaired areas again so that they blend in with the surroundings.
- Finally you need to use a primer to get a better quality paint job.
After completing these tasks, you will be ready to apply the paint. So, now you have rough ideas about the waiting time for applying the new paint. But to be on the safe side, ask a local expert.
Final Words
A top-quality paint stripper can make your job easier. Pick any of the reviewed strippers, and you will not feel disappointed later. We particularly recommend D Super Remover Paint Stripper; it’s a complete package that will be your great companion while removing paint. Moreover, it’s affordable.
Also, consider our other reviewed models, you can definitely find one that suits your needs. Consider reading the buying guide and other sections with paint stripper for wood reviews so that you can find the right wood paint stripper from any options. And always make sure to wear chemical-resistant gloves when you use the paint stripping products.