Deglosser Is an Excellent Alternative to Sandpaper for Furniture Repair

Finishing cabinets is an economical and easy upgrade you can do yourself to breathe new life into a tired space. Whether you’re redoing all your glossy kitchen cabinets or recycling old furniture, you might think you need to spend hours sanding before you can paint. But there is an alternative to preparing the finish for repainting, and it will do most of the hard work for you.

Why You Should Use a Deglosser

A deglosser, also known as a liquid grinder, can be a huge time saver, especially on high volume jobs or projects with lots of nooks and crannies that are hard to sand down. While surface preparation can take a day or two, the advantage is that most of that time is spent waiting while you can do other things. Cleaning the liquid deglossing agent is easy as it is water based. While you can’t throw it down the drain, you can dispose of it the same way you would dispose of latex or acrylic paint. Another benefit of using a gloss remover is that it’s much safer than sanding when you’re working with lead paint. If you are coating and packaging existing lead, a dust-free product is ideal.

What is degloss?

As the name suggests, gloss remover is designed to be used on glossy surfaces to prepare them for painting. It’s not an alternative to paint stripper, so it won’t work if you’re trying to expose the underlying wood, but it will remove the sheen from a glossy surface so the paint can stick to something. Keep in mind that the gloss remover does not work with oil based paint, but is ideal for water based latex and acrylic finishes. Deglosser uses a chemical reaction to break down the shiny surface of a painted object, so time is of the essence for best results.

Preparation and materials

For this project you will need:

• Deglosser
• Drop of cloth
• Scrub pad
• Latex gloves
• Bucket
• clean rag

Before applying the gloss remover, clean the surface with soapy water and rinse so that the gloss remover is applied evenly over the entire surface. Uneven application can cause the final paint to look uneven or uneven. You should also smooth out any bumps or imperfections with sandpaper, as gloss remover will not remove such imperfections.

Apply gloss remover

It’s time to put on gloves to protect your hands. Wearing safety goggles is also recommended, as splashes of liquid sandpaper can get into your eyes.

Pour some gloss remover into a bucket and then use a cleaning sponge to apply it all over the surface. Using something like a dishcloth will help clean the surface without damaging the underlying wood, but you can also use a clean rag. Make sure that the liquid gets into all corners and hard to reach places. Leave the gloss remover on for 5-10 minutes, then wipe off excess with a clean cloth.

Apply a primer

After applying liquid sandpaper, you must leave your part for five to 48 hours to get it working. You should not wait too long as this may affect the application of your first coat of primer. Once your surface is matte instead of glossy, it’s time to apply a primer. If you’re not sure if the gloss remover has worked long enough, you can test it on the inside of a cabinet door or other small, inconspicuous spot. You should now have a surface that the paint will adhere to properly when applied, allowing your cabinets or furniture to last for years without flaking or cracking.