Replies

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Sep 20, 2009 04:54am | #1

   The only strippers worth using are those that contain methylene chloride. So called "safe" stripper trade off effectiveness for "safety". They take longer and do not do as good a job.

   Howie.........
2. 
   Gretchen | Sep 20, 2009 03:26pm | #2

   I completely agree with Howard. Paint stripping is a HUGE pain. If using a MC stripper, and patience, it can be less of a pain. I NEVER use water to remove the stripper--use mineral spirits, and the wood grain is raised much less, and there is far less sanding.

   When using a scraper to remove the sludge, even with the MC types, it needs to be a very dull putty knife, and I round the edges so it doesn't gouge the wood. The wood is softened with all of them. Then use coarse steel wool to remove the "lighter" sludge, always going with the grain.

   But foremost, let the stripper do its work--keep it wet with stripper, even covering it with Saran--until the paint has "lifted" from the wood--before you ever begin to scrape or rub it.

   Gretchen
1. 
   jyang949 | Sep 20, 2009 04:21pm | #3

   Ah, that was the problem. I was using keen edges and fine abrasives. Thank you!Janet

1. 
   Gretchen | Sep 20, 2009 05:05pm | #4

   AND the wrong stripper. Use the methylene chloride types that Howard recommended.Gretchen

1. 
   jyang949 | Sep 20, 2009 06:41pm | #5

   I was trying to avoid using methylene chloride. Come to think of it, though, I was working in a short hallway with doors at both ends, so it would've been easy to vent out most of the fumes. Ye olde hindsight.What do you think about infra-red paint strippers? Can't use a heat gun because of lead paint.Janet

1. 
   zolton | Sep 20, 2009 07:07pm | #6

   Janet, I own a Speedheater infrared paint stripper. Although it is quite expensive, it really is the bomb. It takes paint - multi-layers of paint - off a wood surface right down to the wood in one application. There's only a faint residue of the paint left. It's not clear from your post as to what you're stripping. My impression is that Speedheaters and their like are mostly designed for taking paint off houses. I'm not sure it would be a good idea to deploy one on a piece of furniture. Infrared technology (to my limited understanding of it) heats up the wood beneath the paint, allowing the paint to "release" from the surface. In my experience it does that very well. But it does heat up the wood pretty substantially. That's not a major deal on the side of a house, but if used on a piece of furniture it could affect the glue holding joints together or veneer onto a substrate. I used my Speedheater recently to remove paint from some old drawer fronts I salvaged from a carpentry job. It took just a few minutes per board, and now I've got some nice, clear Southern Yellow Pine stock to work with when I need it. That little exercise, along with the paint I've removed from portions of my house, points up one of the truths about use of this tool - and in fact all other methods of paint stripping methodology. And that is that it's pretty easy to take paint off flat surfaces; it is much less so on detailed work. Speedheaters run about $500-600 bucks. I picked mine up used from a professional paint store for $100. They rent for about $35 a day from paint stores.ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon

2. 
   jyang949 | Sep 20, 2009 08:17pm | #7

   I've been taking paint off of moldings and doors in our house, which was built in 1932. Some of the moldings look "blobby" with all the layers of paint; of course, those are the ones with the lead hazard. When you mentioned residual paint, I realized that no matter how the wood is stripped, there is still going to be some lead paint remaining. Sanding it off isn't safe, so does that mean there is no way to make old painted surfaces safe? Janet

3. 
   Gretchen | Sep 20, 2009 08:56pm | #8

   You didn't say this was architectural molding. I suggest you dismantle it and have it professionally stripped.  Or take it outside and do it.

   the speed heater might be the answer as I read the other post. If there is residual paint it can be removed with stripper. I suggest a respirator for any of this work.

   Gretchen

   Edited 9/20/2009 1:58 pm ET by Gretchen

4. 
   zolton | Sep 21, 2009 12:05am | #10

   Janet,The amount of paint the Speedheater leaves on the surface is very slight. But, as you say, especially with an older home with painted moldings, even the primer used probably contained lead. That doesn't mean, however, that there is no way to make the surfaces "safe." As another poster noted, you could use some liquid stripper after the Speedheater in order to clean up with residue is left, before sanding. Or, you could take what precautions you need to in order not to spread the dust around, and then commence sanding. Those precautions would include trying to capture as much of the dust as possible while the sanding was occurring (using a shop vac equipped with a HEPA filter, for example, hooked up to an orbital sander), and finding ways to clean the dust from every surface in the area where you are working. A Festool sanding system, in particular, would be a good choice for this job, as its dust collection - while not perfect - is quite good. The EPA has a lot of good tips about how to work with lead paint in an existing home. I think their website is http://www.epa.gov. It is a lot of work to deal with lead paint on an older house. You need to be extra careful if there are small children around, as they are more susceptible to the hazards of ingesting lead. But it is done by contractors every day, and can be done by you if you first arm yourself with the equipment and knowledge necessary before you begin the job. ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon

5. 
   Gretchen | Sep 21, 2009 02:42am | #11

   In my opinion, sanding is absolutely not a possibility for this job. It is the most ineffecient way to remove paint even on flat surfaces, let alone that with a little crevices added. If there is lead paint, you can NEVER capture it all.

    

    Gretchen

6. 
   zolton | Sep 21, 2009 03:56pm | #12

   Gretchen,

   I agree that sanding is the poorest way to remove paint from a surface. I think the poster was talking about sanding the wood to smooth it after the paint had been removed...ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon

7. 
   Gretchen | Sep 21, 2009 05:50pm | #13

   Aha, I see that now. Thanks.

    Gretchen

3. 
   WillGeorge | Sep 20, 2009 09:27pm | #9

   As in 2. Nothing wrong? Just happens?

4. 
   Beckum | Sep 27, 2009 07:34pm | #14

   This is only my personal opinion, water based strippers are not worth the printing on the package. I have never liked them or found them effective. As for getting the glop off of the wood .... Either a plastic scraper with rounded corners, or a dull metal one, also with rounded corners. Use your stripper a second time with some 0 steel wool and that should get in the grooves. Let it dry for a couple of days before you try to do anything else to the wood. With a little luck, that may help let the grain settle back down a little. If you're going to sand it smooth, get out the shop-vac and suck that lead paint dust up as your are sanding. It won't get all of it, but it will help keep it to a minimum. A hepa filter in the shop-vac and a respirator are also great ideas.

   Best of luck with your project! These guys on here are a great source of information and know how. Always worth the effort of asking them most anything. They always come through!