Cabinet & Furniture Stripping in Austin
Old paint and finish hide the real wood underneath. We strip cabinets, doors, and furniture down to clean, bare wood — without the gouges, fuzzed grain, and chemical mess of doing it by hand.
Why Stripping Beats Painting Over
Cabinets, doors, and furniture collect layers over the years — paint over stain over the original finish, each coat hiding the detail and the grain a little more. Adding one more coat on top just buries it further and rarely looks crisp on detailed millwork.
Stripping back to bare wood is what brings a piece back. Whether you’re going for a fresh paint job that actually lays flat, a new stain, or the natural wood you forgot was under there, it all starts with getting the old finish off cleanly.
The good news: we can usually take a piece back to clean wood far faster than hand-stripping, and the result is a smooth, even surface ready to refinish.
What We Strip
Kitchen and bath cabinets. Doors, drawer fronts, and face frames taken back to bare wood for a repaint or re-stain.
Interior and exterior doors. Solid-wood doors with layers of paint, including detailed panel doors where hand-sanding can’t reach.
Furniture. Tables, dressers, chairs, headboards, and case pieces — including older furniture with decades of finish.
Built-ins and millwork. Bookcases, mantels, wainscoting, and trim pieces with intricate profiles.
Antiques and detailed pieces. Carved and turned elements that need a careful, low-impact approach. We’ll tell you honestly when a piece is too fragile or valuable for stripping and is better off with a specialist.
Architectural salvage. Reclaimed doors, shutters, and woodwork being brought back into use.
Why Detail Work Requires a Different Approach
Cabinets and furniture are detail surfaces — panels, profiles, corners, and carving — which changes the cleaning process in two ways:
Finish hides in the detail. Old paint collects in the recesses of panel doors and carved profiles, exactly where hand-sanding can’t reach. Surface stripping alone leaves paint trapped in the detail.
Method choice matters more. Flat sanding rounds off crisp edges and carving. We use fine, surface-safe media and controlled stripping that follow the contours and clear the recesses without flattening the detail.
We adjust our technique for each piece, with the goal of removing the finish thoroughly without altering the wood’s shape, grain, or character.
Pieces & Projects We Handle
- Full kitchen cabinet sets
- Bathroom vanities
- Cabinet doors and drawer fronts
- Panel and french doors
- Dressers, tables, and case furniture
- Chairs and turned-leg pieces
- Mantels and fireplace surrounds
- Built-in bookcases and shelving
- Wainscoting and interior trim
- Reclaimed doors and salvage woodwork
- Carved and detailed millwork
Many projects combine several pieces. We can handle a full set together so everything matches when it’s refinished.
What’s Different About Cabinet & Furniture Work
Detail pieces take more care than a flat exterior surface. A full cabinet set or a heavily carved piece is methodical work, and we approach it in a specific order to get a clean, even result:
First, we assess the piece. We check the wood, the joinery, and how many layers of finish we’re dealing with before choosing the method.
We protect what stays. Hardware, glass, and anything that isn’t getting stripped is removed or masked.
We work the detail thoroughly. Panels, profiles, and carving get cleared along with the flat faces, so there’s no trapped finish left in the recesses.
We finish clean. The piece is left as bare, even wood — ready for you or your finisher to paint, stain, or seal.
Cabinet & Furniture Questions
Can you strip carved or detailed pieces?
Yes. Detailed millwork and carving are some of the most rewarding pieces we do. We follow the contours rather than flattening them, so the detail comes through clean.
My furniture has layers of both paint and old finish. Can you remove both?
Yes. We strip through multiple layers down to bare wood, including old finish underneath later coats of paint.
My piece is an antique. Is stripping safe for it?
Often, with a careful low-impact approach. Some antiques are too fragile or too valuable for stripping and are better left to a restoration specialist, and we’ll tell you honestly which situation you’re in.
Should I strip and refinish, or just replace?
Replacing cabinets or quality furniture is expensive. Stripping and refinishing is usually a fraction of the cost, and on solid wood the result is often dramatic enough that replacement isn’t worth considering.
Get a Free Stripping Assessment
Send us photos of your cabinets or furniture when you request a quote and we’ll tell you what’s possible. Or we’ll come out for an on-site assessment — no obligation, no charge. We accept all major credit cards and cash.