best way to strip paint
- Thread starter ellie74
- Start date
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I would like to hope that you have not yet started this job with the information that you have been given.
Using a heat gun can cause very toxic fumes that can damage your helth and if the paint contains lead then it can be very dangerous indeed.
Using a solvent based paint remover (methlyne Chloride) please beware as it is listed as a carcinegen: please visit *********** for facts on this.
Also take care when using abrasives on timber that has been stripped as it can still contain lead particles that when sanded can become airborne.
I have used a product called ****************** that is totally safe and cannot harm you at all. I have stripped many things over the last 25 years and yes have used solvents and do hope that it has not damaged my health at all. I will never go back to solvent or caustic based strippers again..*********** is the one
Decorating direct, focus and B&Q stock ************ products and it is amazing. I have spoken to many people who think as it is safe it surely cannot work, but it works very well indeed and am suprised that bigger companies like Nitromors have not got one like this[/url]
Using a heat gun can cause very toxic fumes that can damage your helth and if the paint contains lead then it can be very dangerous indeed.
Using a solvent based paint remover (methlyne Chloride) please beware as it is listed as a carcinegen: please visit *********** for facts on this.
Also take care when using abrasives on timber that has been stripped as it can still contain lead particles that when sanded can become airborne.
I have used a product called ****************** that is totally safe and cannot harm you at all. I have stripped many things over the last 25 years and yes have used solvents and do hope that it has not damaged my health at all. I will never go back to solvent or caustic based strippers again..*********** is the one
Decorating direct, focus and B&Q stock ************ products and it is amazing. I have spoken to many people who think as it is safe it surely cannot work, but it works very well indeed and am suprised that bigger companies like Nitromors have not got one like this[/url]
Think HIBs info is fine. but Have it well ventilated. Used heat lamp and original gas and paraffin torches in the past with no probs. Just have to be aware of using a broad scraper as a heat shield when going up to panes of glass.
I just dealt with a similar problem a few weeks back but had to deal with 8 window frame lol
I did more or less what hib has mentioned i.e. heatgun and scraper. My window frames had like 7-8 layers of paint on them. Using the heat gun, I got rid of the bulk of the paint and then using 80 grit, got the rest removed.
Personally I didnt use any protective gear as the job wasnt messy at all but its best to be safe anyhoo.
Thanks
I did more or less what hib has mentioned i.e. heatgun and scraper. My window frames had like 7-8 layers of paint on them. Using the heat gun, I got rid of the bulk of the paint and then using 80 grit, got the rest removed.
Personally I didnt use any protective gear as the job wasnt messy at all but its best to be safe anyhoo.
Thanks
As others have said, use a good quality heat gun..not some cheapo. Get one that you can adjust the temperature on. Makita do a good one, so do Metabo.
Keep the heat just in front of the scraper and keep it moving and you will be suprised at how quickly it will come off. You will need a couple of profiles of scraper to get into mouldings and the like. After all the paint is off then you will need nitromors or something similar. This is messy and nasty stuff..but in my opinion its the only thing that does the job satisfactorily. Get a good face mask and filter..I use 3M's with filers for organic vapour they should last about a monmth until the filter needs replacing- and keep all the windows open for a good flow through of air. This is not a short job and anyone wanting a quick turn around needn't bother. You can get very good results but its hard work.
Hope this helps
Keep the heat just in front of the scraper and keep it moving and you will be suprised at how quickly it will come off. You will need a couple of profiles of scraper to get into mouldings and the like. After all the paint is off then you will need nitromors or something similar. This is messy and nasty stuff..but in my opinion its the only thing that does the job satisfactorily. Get a good face mask and filter..I use 3M's with filers for organic vapour they should last about a monmth until the filter needs replacing- and keep all the windows open for a good flow through of air. This is not a short job and anyone wanting a quick turn around needn't bother. You can get very good results but its hard work.
Hope this helps
Hi Ellie74
I am stripping wood in my Victorian house. After a little trial & effort, I use a heat gun first to get most of the gloss off. I do this with the windows open and the back door too, to make sure I get a good flow of air through the house. And also I break the task up so I'm not doing it for hours and hours. I use a combination shavehook for all the curves (as an aside, do they all come with the same configuration of blade?) and a triangular one, which is better at getting into the very tight grooves.
I then use Klingstrip- it's a poultice type stripper- it has a sticky putty texture, spread it on with a flexible spreader, cover with plastic (I use bin-bags cut into strips) and leave for a couple of days. Then scrape off the residue, and finally scrub the wood down. You may need to go back to wash off a bit of effluorescence that appears, but the wood comes up really well. Sand with coarse and then fine sandpaper. I find the sponge blocks helpful to get into some of the nooks & crannies.
I've yet to decide how to finish off the wood I've already stripped- I'm going to post a question on this very topic!
I am stripping wood in my Victorian house. After a little trial & effort, I use a heat gun first to get most of the gloss off. I do this with the windows open and the back door too, to make sure I get a good flow of air through the house. And also I break the task up so I'm not doing it for hours and hours. I use a combination shavehook for all the curves (as an aside, do they all come with the same configuration of blade?) and a triangular one, which is better at getting into the very tight grooves.
I then use Klingstrip- it's a poultice type stripper- it has a sticky putty texture, spread it on with a flexible spreader, cover with plastic (I use bin-bags cut into strips) and leave for a couple of days. Then scrape off the residue, and finally scrub the wood down. You may need to go back to wash off a bit of effluorescence that appears, but the wood comes up really well. Sand with coarse and then fine sandpaper. I find the sponge blocks helpful to get into some of the nooks & crannies.
I've yet to decide how to finish off the wood I've already stripped- I'm going to post a question on this very topic!
Just wondering if you considered the lead paint issue as yours is an old place and the bottom layers are almost definitely lead based?
We have lots and lots of woodwork to sort out in our place Have a young kid so am a bit nervous about starting it ! Will probably go the KlingStrip method if/when we do tackle the job!
to smithybobbins:
Shave hooks used to come in quite a few profiles but as with everything useful nowadays they seems to have disappeared. Old boys I have spoken too make their own from thin bits of steel ground on a grinder to various profiles. You could try car boot sales and second hand shops to find some of the older ones if you are doing a lot of this. ( any metal can be used - old bits of hacksaw blades, bits of rusty old saw, etc. )
As a side note, check that the straight-edged scrapers/shavehooks edges are really square because some of the cheap ones aren't and whilst you will scrape away the paint you will also leave "grooves " in the woodwork that will look unsightly when you apply a finish.
You might also want to radius the corners of your main scraper slightly on some emery paper, the one you use to do the bulk of the work, so that the edges don't dig into the wood and have another sharp one for the detail mouldings.
Concerning the lead in paint. Don't be too scared/nervous about all the stories you read. Yes, lead is dangerous in certain forms but then we have always known that, but if it's trapped in layers of paint and it's all coming away with the softened paint then there is not really an issue. What you don't want to do is burn the paint with the gun; don't let it go brown and start to sizzle and smoke. Just bubble the inch or so in front of the scraper and apply firm pressure and it will come away relatively easily. If you come down to the wood with the heat gun itself and you have little or no paint left on the surface then sanding isn't a problem either. You just don't want to be going at it with a electric sander whilst there's still layers of it on there and turning it into airborne dust particles. And it's always advisable to wear a suitable sanding mask, no matter what type of paint you are preparing.
hope this helps
Shave hooks used to come in quite a few profiles but as with everything useful nowadays they seems to have disappeared. Old boys I have spoken too make their own from thin bits of steel ground on a grinder to various profiles. You could try car boot sales and second hand shops to find some of the older ones if you are doing a lot of this. ( any metal can be used - old bits of hacksaw blades, bits of rusty old saw, etc. )
As a side note, check that the straight-edged scrapers/shavehooks edges are really square because some of the cheap ones aren't and whilst you will scrape away the paint you will also leave "grooves " in the woodwork that will look unsightly when you apply a finish.
You might also want to radius the corners of your main scraper slightly on some emery paper, the one you use to do the bulk of the work, so that the edges don't dig into the wood and have another sharp one for the detail mouldings.
Concerning the lead in paint. Don't be too scared/nervous about all the stories you read. Yes, lead is dangerous in certain forms but then we have always known that, but if it's trapped in layers of paint and it's all coming away with the softened paint then there is not really an issue. What you don't want to do is burn the paint with the gun; don't let it go brown and start to sizzle and smoke. Just bubble the inch or so in front of the scraper and apply firm pressure and it will come away relatively easily. If you come down to the wood with the heat gun itself and you have little or no paint left on the surface then sanding isn't a problem either. You just don't want to be going at it with a electric sander whilst there's still layers of it on there and turning it into airborne dust particles. And it's always advisable to wear a suitable sanding mask, no matter what type of paint you are preparing.
hope this helps
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