Heat stripping is the quickest way to remove paint or varnish, but it needs a lot of expertise if you are to avoid charring the wood. So it is best reserved for stripping out of doors where a less-than-perfect surface will be less noticeable A gas blow-torch is used along with metal scrapers to lift the finish off the wood while it’s still warm Blow- torches with gas canister attachments are light to use and a flame spreader nozzle makes the job easier (it can be bought separately).

Where there’s no glass, it’s a two-handed operation. Light the blow-torch and hold it a little way from the surface. Move it back and forth, going nearer and withdrawing, till the paint starts to wrinkle and blister. Now begin to scrape — be careful where you point the flame at this stage or you may damage other surfaces. As soon as the paint is hard to move return the flame to the area.

Wear gloves to save your hands from being burnt by the falling paint, and cover areas below where you are working with a sheet of non-flammable material to catch the scrapings. In awkward areas, especially overhead, you should wear protective goggles for safety’s sake.

Bleaching

It the wood is discolored once stripped (either from the stripper used or from some other source) you can try and achieve an overall color with bleach — the household type, used diluted 1:3 with water to begin with and more concentrated if necessary, or better St ill a proprietary wood bleach.

Clean the surface of the stripped wood with paint thinner and steel wool and leave for 1 5 minutes to dry. Cover areas you don’t want bleached with polythene, then brush bleach on generously Work it into the wood with the grain using medium steel wool.

Leave for 2-4 minutes, and then wipe off with rags. Leave to thy (up to 5 hours) before sanding after which you can finish the surface as desired.