Max Strip Citrus Paint Stripper Gel, Safe Wood & Metal Stripper, 1G

I was anxious about trying a paint stripper, but I got an old secretary desk and was worried about sanding the paint in case it contained lead. I was told that using a paint stripper was safer for that, so I researched various paint strippers. I settled on Max Strip, and I'm happy with it! I started with the inside of the drop down part of the desk and it took me four or so coats to get the paint off. There were four layers of paint on it. But it was also my first time using this stuff. When I did the outside, it only took two coats. I had a much better idea of what I was doing and left it on longer. About an hour for the first coat and then 35 minutes for the second, since I only had some minor details left to remove. A paint scraper and a brass wire brush work great with this stuff. I can get the majority off with the paint scraper and then use the brush for smaller areas or to get residual paint out of the wood grain. I was worried when I saw the size of the container that I would not be able to get much done with it, but I still have plenty left even after doing multiple coats on either side of this. It won't make the job completely effortless, but it will save a lot of time and elbow grease.

It works very well. As per instructions, using plastic helps expedite the process. It still works without the plastic, just not as quickly. BIG takeaway, be sure to have something below. It's like the "wushi finger hold", the worst part is the clean up! The paint easily comes off of the door with little to no elbow grease. But then it falls and sticks to the floor (or whatever is below it). So have a big enough piece of cardboard or incredibly large piece of paper. You can use a tarp, too but disposable will be ideal.

The previous owner had a tendency to get "happy" with a paint brush more than was needed. Remodeling a bathroom I decided that the only way to reuse the door was to strip the paint off of the inside. The outside of the door is finished wood, the inside - I counted 4 or 5 layers of paint from two layers of white, to some green, to yellow. Hard to count. I followed the directions and ended up letting the stripper stand over night, taking it off half way through the day. As recommended I covered it with plastic, buying the cheapest plastic drop cloth that big Orange had. The paint and stripper was STIFF and really sticky by then, but a lot came off. Adding a little water from a spray bottle helped. A second application took more off, and then a bit more using a red stripping pad with a little more stripper to get the stubborn stuff off, followed by a couple of water rinses. It took all of the latex and oil based paint off. I was left with what I assume was a pigmented shellac layer. I left it on, sanded the door and applied primer. The door was ready to prime and paint after 24 hrs or so. I used the full quart bottle, and a bit of a second. I didn't use it on the metal parts, opting to boil them, which worked great. No noxious chemical smell. The citrus is strong, but not bad. I am pleased with the results.

Worked as expected.

Product is whatever, the problem is the stupid cap. The second time I put the cap on the bottle the product comes in, it literally wouldn't come back off. I'm very familiar with child-proof caps, but this is ridiculous. I had to smash the cap off, because the bottle was deforming under the pressure necessary to get the cap off. This stuff is worthless, until they fix the cap issue. Appreciate you ruining my day and driving me to a competitor. Stay well away...

Didn’t work very well or rather didn’t work at all

Works as advertised. Effective for my needs - removing (spray) paint on wood furniture. Odor far less toxic than other brands I've tried.

Our son was given some old kitchen cabinets (his are much older and hand made). He wanted to strip the varnish off the new used cabinets and update the kitchen with a new paint. Works very well forcwhat he needed.