Most solid timber doors go in the dip tank. It’s the quickest, most thorough way to get a painted door back to bare wood, and it’s what we do all day. But not every door can be dipped. Veneered and plywood doors, water-based paint, varnish and some primers all need a different approach: hand stripping.
This guide explains how both methods work, when we use each one, what they cost, and how to tell which your door needs before you book.
The short answer: dipping vs hand stripping at a glance
| Comparison | Dipping | Hand stripping |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | The door goes into a tank of warm caustic solution, then it’s pressure-washed and neutralised | A non-caustic stripper is applied by hand and the paint is lifted off layer by layer |
| Best for | Solid timber doors, especially pine. Cast iron. Thick layers of old oil-based paint | Veneered, plywood and engineered doors. Furniture. Water-based paint. Varnish. Primer left after dipping |
| Not for | Veneered or plywood doors. Water-based paint. Some varnishes | Big batches of solid pine doors. Dipping is quicker and cheaper for those |
| Turnaround | Around 7 working days from collection | Around 7 working days from collection. Varies with layers and condition |
| Price | Interior doors from £35 | Quote on request |
| Finish | Bare timber, ready to sand, wax, oil or paint | Bare timber, ready to sand, wax, oil or paint |
Collection and return is a flat £30 either way, within 100 miles of Milton Keynes.
What is door dipping?
Dipping is what it sounds like. We lower the door into a tank of warm caustic solution and leave it for 30 to 45 minutes. The solution lifts every layer of paint and varnish at once, from every face, edge and moulding. The door is then pressure-washed to clear the residue and neutralised so no caustic is left in the timber. After that it’s dried and, if you’ve asked for it, sanded and finished with wax or oil.
It’s thorough, it’s quick, and it’s the most cost-effective way to strip a solid door. If you have a stack of painted pine doors from a Victorian or Edwardian house, this is almost certainly what they need. You can read more on our interior door stripping page, and if you’re weighing up dipping against doing it yourself, we’ve compared the DIY methods in What’s the best way to strip paint off a door?
What is hand stripping?
Hand stripping skips the tank. Instead of caustic, we use a specialist non-caustic stripping solution and work the surface by hand. It’s slower and takes more skill, which is why it costs more. But it lets us treat the door gently, and it works on paints and surfaces that caustic can’t shift.
Here’s what happens in the workshop.
Step 1: Apply the stripping solution
We brush the non-caustic solution onto the door or item and leave it to react with the paint. How long depends on the paint and how many coats there are. The solution softens the paint so it can be lifted without gouging the wood.
Step 2: Lift the paint by hand
Once the solution has done its work, we take the softened paint off with a scraper and a wire brush, working along the grain and into any beading or mouldings. On a door with several layers, we apply more solution and go again. We repeat this until every trace of paint is gone.
Step 3: Hand sanding (optional)
Once the door is stripped, we can hand sand it to smooth the surface and get it ready for its next finish, whether that’s paint, wax or oil. Sanding is an extra and isn’t included in the hand stripping price. Just ask when you book.
Hand stripping is a careful, manual process, so the time it takes depends on the item, its condition and the number of paint layers. As a guide, allow around seven working days from collection.
When does a door need hand stripping instead of dipping?
We recommend hand stripping when dipping would damage the item or wouldn’t remove everything. These are the five situations we see most often.
Doors that aren’t solid wood
Veneered, plywood and engineered doors are built from layers glued together. Caustic and water get between those layers, and the door warps, bubbles or comes apart. If your door isn’t solid timber all the way through, it needs hand stripping.
Some hollow-core doors can’t be stripped by either method. If you’re not sure what your door is made of, ring us or send a photo before you book and we’ll tell you the best approach.
Water-based paints
More and more doors are painted with water-based satinwood, eggshell or quick-dry gloss. They’re easy for the decorator, but caustic won’t lift them cleanly. The door comes out of the tank with paint still on it. Hand stripping with the non-caustic solution takes them off.
Varnish and other finishes
Dipping removes most varnishes, but some modern lacquers won’t come off completely in the tank. When we assess your door, we’ll tell you whether it needs hand stripping, or dipping followed by a hand finish.
Primer left behind after dipping
Some doors were primed with a water-based or acrylic undercoat straight onto bare wood. The dip takes the top coats off, but the primer stays, leaving a pale, patchy film on the timber. Hand stripping removes it and gets the door down to clean wood.
Furniture and delicate pieces
Chests of drawers, tables, chairs and antiques are often made with thin panels, veneer or fine joints. We hand strip these to protect the piece. See our furniture stripping page for more.
Can you combine the two?
Yes, and we often do. A door that’s mostly oil-based gloss with a water-based primer underneath goes in the tank first. That takes off the bulk of the paint quickly and cheaply. Then we hand strip what’s left. You get the thoroughness of dipping and the care of hand stripping.
We assess every door before it goes near the tank, so if we think it will need hand finishing, we’ll say so in your quote.
How much does hand stripping cost compared with dipping?
Dipping is the cheaper option. Interior doors start from £35 each. Exterior doors, shutters, radiators and fireplaces are priced on a free quote.
Hand stripping is priced on request. We don’t publish a flat rate because no two hand stripping jobs are the same. A flat ply door with one coat of water-based paint takes a fraction of the time of a veneered four-panel door with six layers. We’ll quote from a photo, or when we see the item.
Expect hand stripping to cost more than dipping for the same door. Every layer is lifted by hand, and that’s hours of skilled work rather than 45 minutes in a tank. You’ll sometimes see hand stripping listed online as the cheaper option. It isn’t, not when it’s done properly. Hand sanding is charged on top if you want it.
Whichever method your door needs, collection and return is a flat £30 within 100 miles of Milton Keynes.
How do I know which one my door needs?
Two quick checks you can do at home:
- Lift it and tap it. A solid timber door is heavy. A hollow-core door is light and sounds hollow when you knock on the middle.
- Look at the top edge. On a veneered door you’ll see a thin skin of wood over a different core, or a strip of edging. Chipped paint on an edge often gives it away too.
For the paint, don’t guess. Send a photo to us on WhatsApp on 07378 357744 or use the quote form below. We’ll tell you which method your door needs and give you a price. Assessment is free and there’s no obligation. One thing to remember: take the handles and hinges off before we collect.
Frequently asked questions
No. Solid timber doors can be dipped. Veneered, plywood and engineered doors can’t, because the layers separate in the tank. Those are hand stripped. Doors painted with water-based paint also need hand stripping, as caustic won’t lift it.
Not when it’s done properly. Some people worry that dipping weakens a door or loosens its joints. We’ve been dipping doors for over 20 years, and our customers’ reviews say the same thing again and again: the doors come back looking like new. We assess every door first, and if we don’t think dipping is right for it, we’ll say so.
Allow around seven working days from collection, the same as dipping. Items with many layers or fine detail can take longer, and we’ll tell you if that’s the case when we quote.
Yes. It works on the surface rather than soaking the whole door, so there’s no risk of warping or the layers coming apart. That’s why we use it for veneers, furniture and anything fragile.
Yes. Chests, tables, chairs, bed frames and antiques are hand stripped, or dipped where the piece is solid enough to take it.
Pine usually comes out pale and even. Oak, walnut and mahogany can darken during dipping. If the colour matters to you, tell us when you book.