Stripping Paint

• 1). Using a plastic putty knife, scrape large sections of failing paint from the wainscoting. Using a coarse, 80-grit sandpaper, sand stubborn paint from the wood.
  
  
• 2). Put on a respirator.
  
  
• 3). Place plastic dropcloths beneath the wainscoting.
  
  
• 4). Using an oil paintbrush, apply stripping solvent to a 3-foot by 3-foot area of the wainscoting.
  
  
• 5). Wait 60 seconds for the solvent to loosen the paint. Using the putty knife and 80-grit sandpaper, remove remaining latex paint. Continue until the wainscoting is bare.
  
  
• 6). Wait 10 to 20 minutes for the stripping solvent to evaporate.
  
  

Removing Paint Drips

• 1). Dampen a shop rag with olive oil.
  
  
• 2). Use the rag to lubricate the wainscoting by applying olive oil to the latex paint drips and splatters.
  
  
• 3). Cover the scraping end of a plastic putty knife with a piece of terry cloth.
  
  
• 4). Using the terry cloth as a buffer between the scraper and the wood, use the putty knife to scrape the latex paint drips and splatters from the lubricated wainscoting.