I’ve written about stripping brass plate many times but I finally discovered the perfect one-two combination to make the job faster and easier. The secret — and I expect a decor blogger’s Hall of Fame Award for this — is Easy Off oven cleaner and a spongy sanding block. In the past I’ve used fine and super-fine steel wool with Blue Magic metal polish to do the job, but boy, oh boy, it was hard work. The oven cleaner’s corrosive action cuts down significantly on the amount of elbow grease required.
First, make sure you buy the cold-oven version of the product. An initial spritz tackles the invisible clear coat on the brass; I used synthetic steel wool — available in rectangular sheets for about $2 each — to help remove the Varathane. Then give the brass another spray and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The spongy sanding pad makes reasonably quick work of stripping the thin layer of electroplated brass but it leaves light scratches on the chrome that polish right out with a little Blue Magic and some fine steel wool. The added advantage of using the soft sponge is that it makes doing the corners of the table a snap and these are typically the most difficult areas to strip. Just make sure you thoroughly wipe the piece down between the oven cleaner and the Blue Magic stages; no telling what kind of chemical reactions might occur.
Now, I don’t want to mislead you into thinking this is a wiggle-your-nose kind of job; stripping this table took an entire afternoon but the result is enormously satisfying. Craigslist is full of 1980s brass tables and lamps that people are practically giving away because nobody seems to want the look anymore, Kelly Wearstler and I, notwithstanding. This table was scored on CL for $30 and I spent another $10 on supplies; I flipped it on Craigslist where it sold within hours of posting for $150! I think you’ll agree that the result speaks for itself.
February 13th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
What?!! Bravo, I can’t wait to try this!
February 14th, 2011 at 2:52 am
Do you think this will work on brass shower doors ? I want to up date mine without replacing them.
February 14th, 2011 at 7:15 am
Hi Sherry, the wildcard is that you never know what’s under the brass until you start stripping. People typically paint out brass plated shower surrounds so I’d give the oven cleaner a shot knowing that you might eventually have to paint it anyway.
February 14th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Wow! Who knew what was lurking under that brass plate, great tip Chris. Thanks
February 14th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Very Cool!!!
February 14th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Boss! You, Kelly Wearstler and me!! Can’t wait to do it!!
February 14th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Thanks for posting this DIY! I’ve seen some pieces at the local Goodwill with great potential but a not-so-great yellow chrome and have passed them by. It’s good to know it’s possible to strip the brass plating, albeit with some work involved.
February 14th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Good afternoon What WHOA?Brass Makeover Tricks you don’t KNOW about StyleNorth…Lois of sure glad we in the know do
February 14th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Brilliant!!! I would never have thought of this – p.s. that table looked amazing after you got through with it!
February 14th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Hi Chris,
Did you know that your Brass Makeover tricks is now on line at Apartment therapy?
Thanks for the tip.
Margo on Vancouver island
February 14th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Great tip, Chris! Read it on my blogroll yesterday…and again today, as it appears Apartment Therapy picked it up. Maybe you *will* get the Hall of Fame award for this one!
February 14th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
You have the most amazing tips!!
February 14th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Hi,
We just bought a house with brass fixtures all throughout – doorknobs, door hinges, etc. Do you think this would work on these type of items?
Thanks – great tip!!
February 15th, 2011 at 1:30 am
Hi there, just a follow up I was the one who bought the table, and its funny that you say Kelly Wearstler, because if you look at the updated table vignette I have included her book Hue on it!! I am in love with the coffee table, it couldn’t have come at a better time!! If you are wondering how I found this- I didn’t a friend who follows my blog sent it to me, and sure enough it was the exact same decor that was in the craigslist post- Magda came by last night!! Anyways fabulous find!! xoxo
Laura
gracefullysearching.com
February 15th, 2011 at 11:24 am
great work Chris! you could have sold it for more. .. I would probably still have said say for $299!
congrats on AT as well!
February 15th, 2011 at 11:42 am
I remember seeing your earlier tip–transforming a thift-store brass lamp. I loved that result, and am glad to see that you have a new, easier tip to achieve that same effect.
Great work!
February 15th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
You inspired me to buy these old funky 1970′s brass and glass tables off of craiglist today! I’m going to try your trick and see if I can make it work for me. If it does, I’ll be sure to post the results!!!! Thanks!!!
February 15th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
WOW what a transformation! Love the table, and the fact that you found a much easier solution to the metal cleaner route. can’t wait to try this out on some pieces.Thanks for the tips!
February 16th, 2011 at 8:03 am
Shower door surrounds, doorknobs, hinges . . . theoretically the method should work fine provided that a) the item is plated and not solid brass and b) that you can get into all the nooks and crannies of the item; the fussier the piece, the more challenging, which is why this right-angle table was the perfect project. If your items can’t be removed for refinishing, be very careful to tape off the surrounding area HEAVILY. Oven clean is very caustic and I’d hate to see you ruin something great for the sake of the brass. Also, be sure the space can be well ventilated; I did my initial spraying outdoors.
March 25th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Been doing this for years with the easy off fume free. One further point – sometimes the bright metal base is prone to tarnishing as it was not designed as the final finish… a little car wax buffing at the end will keep it sealed and give the metal a nice final polish!
April 5th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
worked great, can’t beleive the result thanks alot looking forward to next tip
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Visiting from Mr. Goodwill Hunting…Wow. Your technique is a much better way of removing the brass. I saw another technique that involved a smelly, corrosive product. Can’t believe what an outstanding job you did on this table.
May 3rd, 2011 at 7:26 pm
No stinkin’ way! Awesome.
May 5th, 2011 at 10:28 am
holy crap! you DEFINITELY deserve a blogger’s Hall of Fame Award for this!!!
August 23rd, 2011 at 12:09 am
To me… this does make you a blog superstar. I use oven cleaner to strip paint but we just bought a house with an ugly brass shower surround. I’m dying to replace it but I’m going to try this first since it wouldn’t hurt to try before replacing it. thank you!
August 23rd, 2011 at 10:48 pm
You are the MAN! Thank you for this tip!
October 4th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I hope this works. Our master bath has brass faucet, towel bars, shower surround and light fixtures.
Will this work on the faucets?? Please say it will.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
I found some contemporary shaped gold toned wall light fixtures. I tried the oven cleaner. It did take the brass plating off, however some of the piece looked great while some areas look tarnished. I tried to polish the tarnish spots away, but that didn’t work. What went wrong?
December 13th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Seriously brilliant! Thanks!!
February 27th, 2012 at 5:20 pm
I’m wanting to try this on some lamps from the 70s. I’m wondering though, if it turns out to be solid brass, what would the oven cleaner do to it?
I’m not against spray painting them if they get ruined in the process.
Thanks!
May 16th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Found this great tip via Pinterest! Tried the first coat tonight on some hardware from the 70′s, and it’s working great! Thanks for the tutorial!!
August 11th, 2012 at 12:03 am
Hi Chris,
I purchased a metal side table, overly neglected, and was painted gray. Through the scratches of a thin layer paint was brass. I used a spray stripper several times to reveal the brass. I eventually used up the entire spray can. Then I used your method of oven cleaner for cold surface and used (#0) Fine steel wool and Fine sponge sander. It seems the oven cleaner is not penetrating the brass layer as it is still the same brass. Cleaner brass, but still brass. Though I understand each item could have a thin layer, I may have one of those that was coated thoroughly, but may I ask how many times did you have to use the oven cleaner? And how long did you let the foam sit before scrubbing? Was there water and soap involved? And am I getting this correctly that when you used the Blue Magic polisher, you used a steel wool and not cloth? I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the tips!
September 29th, 2012 at 12:31 am
Ken, I just used cold oven cleaner to strip the brass off a couple of swing-arm sconces I picked up on Ebay. Where the metal was just brass-plated, the plating began to dissolve within a few minutes. I sprayed everything once to dissolve the shiny transparent coating on the brass plate and removed quickly. I sprayed a second time and let it sit about a half hour, and the brass plating was pretty much dissolved. Turned out there were a few parts on each lamp that were real brass under the plating, too. I’d say whatever plating was on your table, it’s gone by now.
November 9th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Wow Chris, as a long term MCM collector, I thought I had a Master’s in cleaning and restoring. Apparently, you have a PhD ; – ) Great idea. Will absolutely try it. Cora
P.S. Same cold oven cleaner (spray version) works great on window screens. Spray, brush lightly, and presto, you can see through your screened windows again.
December 1st, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Will this work on an 80′s style chandelier? I have tried to find one online, but everyone seems to be painting them.
Thanks!
March 28th, 2013 at 1:09 am
I just bought a table with a brass base that I want to turn to chrome. Will this process work on it? How would I begin to know if it is brass plated or solid brass?