Stripping Wood Furniture with Oven Cleaner | Antique Dresser Makeover

In this video, I use Easy Off oven cleaner to strip the finish off of an antique dresser. Does it work? Watch to find out! This process of flipping this dresser & mirror took a bit longer than I thought it would but I continued to listen to my furniture and I think it turned out beautifully in the end! Let me know what you think when you see the final results! Thanks for watching!
Tools/Products Used:
Easy Off Oven Cleaner: amzn.to/3IXM4RE
Bar Keepers Friend: amzn.to/3E2D6yX
Bleach: amzn.to/3IUKdgu
DBP Chalk Paint Putty: dixiebellepaint.com/putty-cha...
DBP Clear Coat: dixiebellepaint.com/waxes-gla...
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Furniture Flipping Teacher will be releasing content every Monday & Thursday! Get subscribed and turn on your notifications to receive updates on my journey of paying off student loan debt through flipping furniture on the side! It's as simple as finding a deal on the piece of furniture, refurbishing the piece of furniture, and flipping it for a profit! Through the journey, I am learning the lessons but also sharing what I am learning with you! My goal is to inspire a perspective to see that with action and a need to achieve a goal, there is a way of getting it done!
SEE YOU ON THE FLIP SIDE!
I hope you found this video intentional, inspiring, and informative. If so, get subscribed as content continues to grow and the future gets brighter for us all! If you would like to follow along on Instagram - there’s great behind the scenes, project before and afters, and much more! Check it out for yourself @furnitureflippingteacher
~Lauren
Disclosure Statement:
These links contain affiliate links. I will receive a commission for items purchased through these links at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your support. Please read all labels and follow all manufacturer safety recommendations when working with paints, stains, and other equipment and wear and use appropriate personal protection equipment. Viewers should attempt these projects at their own risk.
Subscriber Count: 105,992

[@sueskiba6639]

I have been restoring furniture for 20+ years and I won't lie... nearly had a heart attack watching portions of this. Sweet end result 💗

[@mackenzieoster4708]

You and me both 😂 I was like 😬😭🤨🙂😍 throughout the entire video😅

[@anaanastasoglou9498]

This is a video on "what not to do to a perfect solid wood piece" Wow!

[@beckylynn209]

I couldn't believe she took a hose to it let alone, the oven cleaner!? It did turn out beautiful.. My first time seeing this color on furniture.. 🤗

[@ritasallee6331]

I agree. I hope anyone else watching this is smarter.

[@hemofhisgarment8083]

Hahaha no joke! My dad refinished furniture for a living, and he would flip out 😅

[@achardjc]

I am warning all of you watching any of these KZbin videos about using oven cleaner for stripping furniture. DO NOT DO IT. Oven cleaner has chemicals that are way too harsh for wood. These chemicals will make the tanins in the wood turn very dark. You might get away with it on a darker wood like walnut. But I almost ruined an expensive Heywood-Wakefield Sculptura maple dresser trying this. I had to apply about 20 coats of Oxalic Acid and bleach to get the stains out. Also not good on birch or other lighter woods. Don't say you have not been warned.

[@jimdavis1516]

You used oven clearner on a Heywood-Wakefield??! Yikes, you're a braver man than i!

[@lyndseyfifield]

I've been able to cope watching these horrible "furniture flip" videos for years because at least paint can be reversed and furniture restored later... but the damage people are doing with this oven cleaner trend cannot be undone.

[@lorihumphry6379]

@@lyndseyfifield Why watch them if you find them "horrible". You promote the channel by viewing. JS

[@busyme4]

@@lorihumphry6379 😂🙌

[@jazminbennett4410]

Thank you so much for letting me know. I’ve seen this trend going on but found it concerning because of the chemicals in oven cleaner … it also looks like it take a lot to stop paint with it. I’m going the old route. Wish me luck 🍀

[@richardschlong8772]

Lauren, you should protect your hands when you’re using that oven cleaner. Great job. I love the tip and have thought about that in the past and wondered if it would work. Now I won’t be afraid to try it.

[@megb7491]

....and your LUNGS !!

[@beckyrubin3754]

I was thinking the same. That stuff is caustic and smelly.

[@J.L.B]

I was thinking that too. I used to clean house and that stuff is harsh. Gloves and safety glasses too. She doesn't want that to flick in her eyes.

[@judywilliamson2068]

Turned out looking great, but as an antique dealer everything that you did just made me cringe. Nine chances out of 10 that was a shellac finish. Most things that are over 100 years old were sealed with shellac. So If you mix one part lacquer thinner to three parts denatured alcohol and using a number four steel wool you will be able to pull the finish right off. You can just wipe it off with shop towels and then clean up your residue with more of the same. That takes your finish off; then if you want to lighten the wood use a good wood bleach. If it were me I would just re-stain and put on a coat of varnish. Why put a antique through all of that stress when it’s not necessary?

[@user-fq4ni3bv6z]

I agree. Just restrain and add a nice varnish, this piece was really unique and beautiful!

[@jimdavis1516]

I had a very similar solid walnut Eastlake dresser, and I cleaned and redistributed the finish using denatured alcohol. I get that she didn't care about the integrity and history of the piece, but it about made me sick to see those chemicals slopped all over it, and then HOSING IT DOWN?! How did she get away with not raising the grain and having to sand the hell out of it?

[@edie9330]

Couldn't agree more but this seems to be a trend right now on youtube. I can't imagine why. Also, 3 coats of oven cleaner? Followed up by water. Then bar keepers friend as a wood bleach? Then bleach? How much work was this piece?!!??? I'm sorry, as someone who's collected antiques for years and refinished many, I'm at a loss for words. There are much easier ways to strip this piece.

[@helenflouch]

As an antique lover some of these flips are an insult to history. If a piece has been damaged or 'modernised' would be as far as would go with flipping an old piece. 😱😰😭😭😭

[@sojourner8567]

Don’t you know that doing it the proper way isn’t trendy and won’t get as many views?

[@grammymimi7283]

Rubber gloves, goggles and a mask are a must! That cleaner is really caustic.

[@normabuehlmann9131]

The barkeepers friend is oxalic acid. Next time you have an oak top with black water rings use the "paste" on the ring. It has worked well for me. Boiling rhubarb leaves also produces oxalic acid. Careful with soaking solid wood furniture. It causes warping.

[@reinventedhometx1857]

I like how your piece turned out! I also agree with the above comments and I wanted to add that its very important to allow it to thoroughly dry out - may take a few days to weeks, depending upon how much water was used and how much it absorbed. Usually older wood pieces are a bit more dried out so a longer dry time would be needed. If its not all the way dried out- then it has the potential to warp & crack at weaker points of the wood or at the joints of the wood. And finally I would recommend to wait before introducing any paint or sealer/ topcoat to the piece before it had that time to dry out all the way. If its applied before it has time to completely dry out, the wood may show signs of mold - whether its visually apparent or just having that musty- mildewy smell. I personally gained this knowledge from my experiences in working with different species of wood and wood furniture pieces thru the years. Most recently was when I was working on salvaging and restoring clients family heirloom furniture pieces that were flooded from Hurricane Harvey here in Houston. 😀

[@kathleenfreund7332]

Lauren, I just want to take this chance to tell you that you are the first furniture flipper I watched on You tube. I was so intrigued and watched everything you did. I realized that I could do this. I am so glad that I learned the basics from you because so often when I watch someone else's videos I see such sloppy workmanship. Thanks for being such a great teacher. YOU ARE THE BEST!

[@shelleyp8967]

Love the way it turned out - seems like regular wood stripper would have been quicker- but thanks for sharing your experience with us ❣ Have a magical holiday season 🎄🎊

[@ashleyhansen7146]

I LOVE it!!!!! What a gorgeous old piece of furniture…those are treasures when you find them.

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

yeah! I agree! this one was a beaut! thanks for watching!

[@sheilasunshine9173]

It’s all in the prep! You have to touch the same surfaces like 8 or 10 times at least to get a good result, bottom line I’ve learned from watching your videos- furniture flipping is a lot of work to do it right. Thanks for sharing with us!

[@thecourtlyalchemist]

Please wear proper eye and skin protection when spraying and scrubbing with oven cleaner or other potentially dangerous chemicals. Even if you're 100 percent confident in your ability to do it safely, people with much less natural grace like me will be emulating you trying to learn how to do new stuff. Your experiment worked out better than I thought it would. The reveal looks great!

[@justjen3216]

Ohhhhh ur scaring me with no gloves or goggles with this caustic cleaner...lol. Great job though Lauren..beautiful work as always. Much love to yunz🥰

[@anniechicas7506]

I always love when “professionals “ comment on videos of successful flips to tell you the method you used doesn’t work.🙄 This piece turned out beautiful! I am currently trying to strip a rustic solid pine cabinet that was painted with flat wall paint, and Kleen Strip isn’t working AT ALL. So, I’m gonna give this method a try. If this doesn’t work, I’ll just paint over the paint. Thanks for another great video!

[@billybob5172]

Did it work?

[@anniechicas7506]

@@billybob5172 I've used it on a few pieces, and it worked fine. Some pieces needed more than one coat, but they had multiple layers of varnish.

[@Rebellious.mermaid]

Love your video's 💜 a tip from a cleaner, wrap the wood with clingfilm after using the oven cleaner, this allows more contact for the chemical to react between the film & surface 😂

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

I knew this about regular stripper but didnt even think of it with the oven cleaner 😀

[@beebuzz959]

You can reuse plastics for this, doesn't always have to be brand new stuff to clog up the oceans.

[@caitlinjohnson1981]

@@beebuzz959 yes! We have three kids who go through a lot of cereal, so I reuse the plastic liners for this purpose.

[@beebuzz959]

@@caitlinjohnson1981 That's so cool! I do stuff like that too. You made my day!

[@alexiapurciful710]

great job thanks for the oven cleaner tip! i tried it a few hours after watching and it worked great. also, im sooo relieved that there so many members of the Safety Patrol Squad watching too so they can fuss about all the crazy scary and dangerous safety crimes committed in this video. phew! gag me folks, seriously. thanks again you dare devil! keep up the awesome work

[@jrbaskind]

What an amazing transformation! I love the spirit of experimentation that you displayed! The dresser looks fabulous!

[@barbiedoll68bk]

Thanks for showing your ideas and fails. It's great that you are so real about your experiences and how to change your mindset to get the beautiful end results.

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

glad you enjoyed! 🤗 I had fun with this one and listening to my piece!

[@chrisgogreve8743]

This piece turned out beautiful!! I would love to own it.

[@roberthellebush8775]

I always love when you try new processes not really knowing how they'll work... makes for a really engaging experience... and sooo helpful!!

[@deborahschipper1520]

Thanks for all the tips for this technique! Will try this for a piece that has me stumped.

[@debbydrach]

Love how this turned out, what a nice surprise, love the putty wash color, you are so clever

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

thank you and thanks for watching!

[@margaretsparksrittenhouse8787]

“How to do ten times the work as traditional stripper, oxalic acid, scraping, and sanding”

[@April-rs8gz]

This piece is gorgeous! Thanks for trying the oven cleaner.. I have been wondering how well it would work!

[@brenmanock]

I love it. Ive done that method once on a small piece and I'm thinking of doing it on another

[@MikeHeidi1111]

This is probably my favourite piece you’ve done yet! Gorgeous!

[@mendyhand3895]

It took me about 3 months to refinish my piece. Totally worth it. Love raw wood. Yours is beautiful. I think you should keep it! 👍🤗🥁

[@kimpatience6505]

I really like this natural look!

[@4tannus]

I had an older gunsmith ell me to use this to clean the dirt and grease off of an old rifle. He said spray it on and when it turns brown, wipe it off. He said to continue doing that until the easy off stays white. Worked great! Nice job on the dresser.

[@sheliaberry877]

WOW! I LOVE the finished look on this - BEAUTIFUL! God bless

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

thank you! turned out pretty good! 🤗 thanks for watching!

[@kathymclaughlin3327]

Love the tip! I have an old buffet I hope to try this on

[@nikkorain680]

OMG !!! Oven Cleaner, who knew !! My area was out of stripper for many, many months...wish I knew this great trick. Love the teacher !!

[@nikkorain680]

Hardware....oven cleaner. Love it !!

[@ashb51]

Love Thursdays because that means a new FFT video!! I've seen a few videos now with the oven cleaner and I don't get how it's easier or better priced than furniture stripper.

[@theresaterbrock9203]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@Gills.V]

This is one of my fav pieces you have done😍 Love this! It came out so stunning!!! Thanks for doing the oven cleaner, I am definitely going to be trying this!!!

[@annettehalliday8892]

Wow Lauren, what a fantastic result. Good on you for trying something different, for us all 👏👏👏

[@claudinekatsiroubas8982]

I love this piece it turned out so nice. Love the colour. Great job Lauren🙂

[@pattiereiter9265]

THAT IS A TOTAL WOW!

[@suzsnide03]

Simply beautiful!!

[@summercahoon9573]

Looks great! Good tip for super detailed solid wood pieces.

[@thispandaknitspodcast3595]

as a master carpenter, I am genuinely horrified this happened.

[@elizabethbrower640]

Thank you. I collect 18th and 19th century American and Chinese antiques. The thought of putting lye on wood is imbecilic.

[@SmartAlx]

@@elizabethbrower640 Apparently people think oven cleaner is basically soap.

[@elizabethbrower640]

@@SmartAlx lol. If it can eat away your skin and blind you, imagine what it can do to wood. Lol

[@SmartAlx]

@@elizabethbrower640 Indeed. Shameful.

[@lindaga820]

I love this look I'm going to try this !!

[@cynthiawilson8294]

That’s really pretty & the staging is nice, too

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

thank you! 🤗

[@FaithandFurniture]

You're experience with oven cleaner was better than mine on light wood. 🤣 I'm letting it dry then I'll try to get the residue stains and tanins out with oxilic acid. Thanks for sharing your tips

[@Ashton60578]

fantastic job. I was worried when you started washing it down with the water hose but it turned out great.

[@genevievekavanaugh2652]

It's really like that you show your failures as well, its helpful to see all steps that work or don't! great video!

[@rnpenelope5672]

I’ve used barkeepers to bleach but left it on over night. It works. Patience is the key.

[@lyndapalecek8952]

I am just catching up since the holiday. Lauren...I really appreciate your honesty about how many cans of Easy Off Oven Cleaner. I watch other IG accounts who are now filming furniture finishing on reels and they make it look more glamorous than the process actually is....

[@lizhoward9754]

Loved this video!! So glad you did some furniture striping. Learned a lot!

[@rethamoore4282]

For me you took a piece of furniture I don't usually like and made a real masterpiece!! I think it turned out GEORGEOUS!! ❤

[@jackyc1402]

WOW what an amazing transformation, it's absolutely beautiful 😍

[@jerriecook6908]

It broke my heart to see what you did to this beautiful antique...💔

[@joeyfletcher8983]

Who would have thought of oven cleaner? Not me, great results. Big improvement 👏👏👏

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

thank you! 🤗

[@teresabell1014]

That turned out well, I wasn't so sure it was going to work out.

[@jerrimclaughlin8432]

Love the look, thanks for trying something new. The teacher teaches us again!

[@DawnDBoyerPhD]

You need to spray water on top of the oven cleaner to avoid it drying out the scrub it around while still wet. Then scrape immediately. Then go behind with a scrubber brush with water to scrape up the remains. DO note that oven cleaner could turn your wood dark so you may need to wood bleach with oxalic acid. Ensure once wood bleach is dry you wash it outdoors and wear a mask (don’t scrap it - could be toxic if you breath dried crystals in).

[@christyS.898]

Beautiful

[@kimberleeoneal358]

Brilliant!!

[@kellyevans8321]

This was really really great helpful information thanks for doing it and sharing

[@raffyfallon3716]

After seeing many people doing this I did a little reading on the cleaner. If it gets in your eye it is serious. It is caustic. You should be wearing gloves and a mask, and then I wondered when it it's sprayed off...where is it going?...we aren't meant to even be dumping oil, paint, other chemicals in the street (there are special places to take it) but no one seems to bat an eye with this. As beautiful as the pieces turn out...actions have effects

[@craigdorler3616]

I love the end result! I must admit the oven cleaner process made me nervous, but it worked out.

[@kathleendolphin9154]

You are very brave to try these methods. It is a beautiful piece of furniture. I enjoyed this video. It was like watching a mystery series.

[@sarahmartinez8153]

This piece of furniture looks absolutely beautiful it's amazing what you can do with pieces like this I really enjoyed watching Sarah from Helena Montana

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

thanks, Sarah!!

[@innovatyveartyst543]

Hello, I'm in North Central Texas, an individual may be fined (if turned in to the proper authorities) for allowing the runoff to flow into the storm drain - similar to changing your oil and allowing it to flow down the street (not a perfect analogy but I believe you get my drift). I like your channel and have been a subscriber for quite some time. I would not try this approach to stripping wood furniture. I'm assuming that the industrial/commercial area that you are working in perhaps has different drainage properties than a residential area. Right now the other methods from your other videos require that the collected stripping matter be correctly disposed of. I can't see how to "collect" the oven cleaner. The end result was nice. Looking forward to watching and learning in 2022.

[@millicentsaunders5343]

Beautiful…love it

[@sandrathomas2079]

It's just beautiful ❤️

[@marija411]

Love it, result is beautiful!

[@lanaperry9400]

Ty for sharing your experiences...as always very informative and helpful! Great job!

[@lvslyke]

This came out beautiful! I wish I lived closer to you. I would own a houseful of your transformations!

[@cherylross2718]

I have used oven cleaner in the past to remove spray paint from lamps. I found it worked better when I sprayed them, and then put them in a sealed garbage bag. Maybe putting a drop cloth over the piece would eliminate multiple spraying.

[@deborahm696]

This is amazing.

[@kellythomson1832]

I sprayed 1x with easy off then waited 30 min before using hose spray to remove cleaner and result was a perfect surface 100% free of old stain and varnish ready to stain with new color. No scraping or sanding required but I realize there is different finishes on different pieces.

[@Yomiielove]

I love your videos! Can you do tutorials for beginners . Who want to do this part time for full time. You are amazing on explaining things. Thank you so much! For your videos

[@brandirobinson8430]

Very nice!

[@lucreciagerstner7020]

looks amazing

[@constancegeeve]

I love this piece! Bleached wood is so pretty and the putty makes it an even color. I'm sold. I'm gonna try this soon on a nice piece of furniture from the thriftstore. We'll done!

[@rainbowzappa1440]

Beautiful!

[@anaanastasoglou9498]

Wow! this is a video on "what not to do on perfect good wood" (water, oven cleaner, clorax bleach, bar keepers friend) she was lucky she didnt totally ruine the piece. Is not only a long process, but totally inpractical, time consuming , and more expensive. The same result or better could have been accomplished the old fashion way. (furniture stripper, and light sanding to remove any residue) Now for experimentation purposes is okay, but you do that first on a piece that you dont care if you ruined.

[@alicep3286]

Good job, Lauren. I love light wood. To me darker wood is just too heavy looking and can bring the room own. You always do a fantastic job. Who knew oven cleaner could do such a great job? Using water to clean off this piece was a surprise.

[@carolmackenzie2283]

Wow , hard work sure paid off beautiful piece

[@jillcahalan4908]

I love it!!!!!

[@iceprincessone7168]

Fantastic !! Thank you

[@menace7125]

Learned a valuable lesson while trying this- wear the proper PPE. This stuff is no joke and does not feel great when exposed to bare skin

[@heidisettles5537]

Have you considered using a soda blaster to strip the furniture? Such a time saver, especially for details. Lots of good videos on how to do this on other channels.

[@edzarichard4488]

I love your video they help me a lot

[@SuperDavana]

Beautiful ❤️

[@karenviator6352]

Hey Lauren. How long did you let the bleach sit on the furniture before taking it off?

[@upasanasoni2331]

I am using it too from long tym.it works

[@outofthemudministry6683]

Lauren save those beautiful hands gloves 🧤 please!!!! And where did you hear about the oven cleaner that’s wild !!!!!!! Blessings to you and Neiman and all of y’all’s families !!!!!!!!!! The Logan family loves and prays for y’all and this awesome community!!!!!! 🙌💜🙌

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

its going viral on tiktok and instagram so I had to try it! I got the gloves on later in the vid 😉

[@rachaelbackdoor4872]

It is stunning that people aren't concerned about rinsing that highly toxic oven cleaner into the ground where children, pets, animals can easily come in contact with it before it ends up in the water table.

[@JanineD]

I had the same thoughts… unbelievable…

[@SmartAlx]

Shameful. And she didn't so much as wear gloves. People seem to think oven cleaner is basically soap.

[@cathyknapp9360]

Oh my goodness what an awesome find this piece turned out beautiful I really love you trying all these different methods it sure helps us out it turned out beautiful Yahoo girl you keep going what a beautiful piece thank you for sharing have a great evening and God bless you and niman Merry Christmas

[@FurnitureFlippingTeacher]

thanks Cathy! appreciate your kind words!

[@brie_b]

All that hard work and experimentation was worth it. This is a gorgeous piece, Lauren! ✨🤩✨

[@lonelyblueangelhtdhtdfan4l610]

Loved this video and the end results! Awesome job yet again!

[@dwcarpy]

I like the result, can't say the same about how you got there but in the end it's a great result. So why choose the oven cleaner over standard methods. It worked but I wouldn't really say there is an advantage.

[@donnamcdonald6310]

Your best work so far.

[@Christie-gp2cy]

So happy your bureau turned out so nice. However, I tried oven cleaner and it was a big fail. It did not remove the finish, and it smelled horrible! I ended up scrubbing it, rinsed off, then sanded it. No more oven cleaner for me!

[@theshabbyvintagebelle1875]

Awesome video

[@robertawills7219]

Lauren, I love how this turns out. Do you think that the oven cleaner did a better job than a good wood stripper.

[@madzabinga8382]

This is just lovely. Are the key hole details wood or metal? It's hard to tell.

[@carmenhuldavelezsantiagoi8929]

Love it

[@anagoncalves9723]

OMG I have the same dresser and i painted it and i don't like how it turned out what do i do know to get it to the way yours turned out?