Annie Sloan wax removal...PLEASE HELP!

Question

A couple of years ago I painted my kitchen cabinets with AS primer red and waxed with both clear and dark wax.  I want to lighten up my kitchen, but I'm having a hard time getting the wax off.  Right now, it looks like a disaster area.  How do I get this evil wax off??

Katy Bowss · Answer

I have heard that wax takes off wax. What if you went over it with the clear to remove the dark, then mineral spirits. 'If you feel the dark wax looks too dark you can use the clear wax as an eraser and it will come off. If you’ve waited too long you can apply a little mineral spirits and this will remove the dark wax but you’ll need to apply more clear wax as a protective coating.'

NYDeb · Answer

I would ask your AS stockist or check the AS forums. Maybe google removing AS wax?

William · Answer

First try a rag with a little mineral spirits on it. It should be damp but not dripping! With a bit of Mineral Spirits on your rag, rub the piece in the direction you applied the wax. (Meaning- do not going against the grain) The mineral spirits on the rag will remove some of the Dark Wax- but it won’t restore the piece as it was before you applied the Dark Wax. However, if this was not what you had intended….you have a little more work, but all is not lost. With chalk paint®, you can simply paint right over the wax and start again. No extra prep work needed. Just make sure the dark Wax has dried! You cannot repaint over freshly applied wax…clear or dark! That is like walking on quick sand- ..not good!

Liz · Answer

I've used mineral spirits with fine grade steel wool. Be sure to have windows open and plenty of ventilation. Then, I used a sponge roller to roll on a liquid de-glosser. (You can get this at Home Depot/Lowes.) Experiment at the end of a cabinet, first, to see what works best. I've read online where some people say that chalk paint didn't adhere to kitchen cabinets without some prior sanding to whatever was already on them.

Janet Pizaro · Answer

I would try any oily substance such as oil,mayo even peanut butter on a soft cloth. Rub continuously into the wax and it should aid in the removal.

JoAnn Robinson · Answer

Have you tried a product called 'Goof-Off'? It can be purchased at any of the box stores, like Home Depot, etc.

Liz · Answer

Tammy, I had written earlier about success I have had with mineral spirits and very fine grade steel wool. I also mentioned using a de-glosser, which was very effective, but someone pointed out how awful de-glossers smell. I'm trying to be conscientious about chemicals, and I think I would first try a de-greaser. We like LA's Awesome. Directions are on the bottle. Get it anywhere and it's inexpensive and effective. If that doesn't take off the wax, then you can try the mineral spirits and very fine grade steel wool. Then, you may want to wash the cabinets with LA's Awesome, diluted with water, and then rinse and let dry.

Nigel · Answer

If you are re-painting them Annie Sloan paint will go straight over the top of the wax without removing it.

Darci Weber Salinas · Answer

I had previously painted and waxed a buffet with ASCP. When I re-painted it, I again used the ASCP, but only as the primer over the wax, and then I waited a couple of days and painted over that with another paint. I then finished it with a matt poly and lightly top sanded the whole thing. It gets lots of daily use and has held up great for 3 years so far. It's expensive to use as a primer, but it worked out well for my project. Good Luck.

Shari · Answer

On a HomeTalk post from a couple years ago, a member was saying she had painted her kitchen cabinets with chalk paint and hated the results so she was looking for info on how to strip the chalk paint and wax off, especially in the recessed crevices of the cabinet doors that would be difficult to sand. There were lots of suggestions but here's the update she posted: 'I actually used Awesome spray that I bought at the Dollar Store. I sprayed it on thick and heavy and used steel wool. The Awesome spray made the chalk paint go liquidy and it just wiped off. It was messy, it was time consuming, but it turned out great! The cabinets were in nearly the same condition I started with once all the paint was washed off.' Here's the actual link to the post if you want to read through all the comments: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/q-stripping-off-a-lot-of-chalk-paint-2640675

Leslie · Answer

Love the Awesome spray have been using it for years. It will even take stains out of clothes :) Tammy that was funny about 'this evil wax' lol. As Liz and Shari stated try the Awesome with the steel wool. You can get different grades of the wool in one pack ( HD or Lowes) that way you can test which grade works best without having to go back and smooth out. Good luck :)

Tammy Ballard Holt · Answer

Thanks to everyone for their help!!! I am trying mineral spirits as well as citristrip. I am repainting but not going to use chalk paint this time.

Pat whitmus · Answer

FYI: Awesome can be purchased at $ stores. ;) Just in case you aren't familiar with the product it is in the cleaning section of the store and it is truly 'Awesome'!!

Jim L · Answer

Hmmm...I've never heard of a cleaning product called 'Awesome' and have never seen it in any store. Am I the only one? Tell me about it...

Penny · Answer

i've never heard of it, but i will certainly look for it....ty

Bonnie Johnson · Answer

I just Chalk Painted and then waxed my kitchen table. The Chalk paint looked just fine but the waxing is another story. Now there are brush strokes and places that I went over it a 2nd time where I missed waxing....Now it looks like...well you know? anyway how can I fix this?

Sissy · Answer

Slightly off topic, but I HATE wax! I used it on my first few AS painting projects and could never, ever get it on smootly and evenly. I switched to polycrilic on top of AS chalk paint and love the results (though I would not use the Minwax brand again. I've read some other brands are better but don't remember which ones). I just finished using Country Chic brand chalk paint for the first time instead of AS and LOVE it. Best part: no wax or top coat required, it's optional. They make their own top coat, 2 versions: regular and Tough Coat for heavy use items like kitchen tables and outdoor furtniture. I'm about to try it for the first time weekend. It has great reviews so I'm optimistic. One tip the shopkeeper gave me about the CC is to mix it with the paint 2 parts:1 part paint when using a dark color (I'm using their navy called Peacoat). I had not read that tip anywhere else.

Chris Gignac · Answer

Denatured alcohol is safe for hard finishes and will dissolve wax coatings. Get some number 0 steel wool and a shallow pan dip the steel wool into the denatured alcohol then work the area you want to remove wax

Lynn bala · Answer

I chalked painted my cabinet so I put the Liquid wax on it and it left marks and it needs to be removed how can I get that wax off

Lynn bala · Answer

I chop pain in my furniture came out like they told me to then they told me to buy the wax the liquid wax so I put it on there but I need to get it off it looks awful how can I fix it this is for my son and I need to get it done and it just looks awful how do I get rid of that

Johnavallance82 · Answer

Hello there,

Try using an absorbent paper on the cabinet and Iron over it to try to melt the Wax!

Nancy · Answer

Goof off is a miracle solution.

Johnavallance82 · Answer

Have you thought to use an warm iron over absorbent paper to melt it off?

Michelle Aronow-Krasnoff · Answer

I just tried using lemon oil to remove dark wax and gilding wax on a piece in my bedroom and it's working really well! I was hesitant to use mineral spirits because I can't move the furniture out of my bedroom myself and couldn't deal with the smell of the spirits. I'm so glad I tried the lemon oil (with disposable rags). I'm using toothpicks to get in the crevices.

Annie Sloan wax removal...PLEASE HELP!

Stripping off A LOT of chalk paint

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Annie Sloan wax removal...PLEASE HELP!

Stripping off A LOT of chalk paint

Suggested Project Book