Painter’s paint stripping techniques

Details and explains methods of one of the most annoying aspects of painting

Have a wall or piece of furniture that you want to change the surface of, but need to get through layers of old paint first? This is a common situation that arises for professional and amateur painters, resulting in a number of solid techniques and processes that can remove paint effectively from most surfaces.

Chemical Paint Strippers

Chemical paint strippers are a great way to cut through built-up old layers of paint with there being a variety of stripping compounds available at most hardware and specialty shops. Usually able to be applied to most surfaces and types of paints (always read instructions first if you are unsure) chemical strippers are ideal for many jobs. However due to the corrosive nature of the chemicals, safety is important with gloves and goggles necessary when using the products.

As for the actual process of using chemical paint strippers, simply apply to the area and allow to ‘soften’ the paint before scraping off in layers. Again, the instructions will specify how long to leave the stripper on before removing. Wash the area down afterwards with water or paint thinner.

Electric Paint Strippers

If for some reason the chemical paint stripper doesn’t work or you don’t like the method, you can try using an electric paint stripper which is basically a paint scarper that has the ability to heat up and ‘warm’ the paint. This is a very ‘hands-on’ approach so professional painters usually recommend saving your energy and just keeping this technique to small areas.

Blow Torch

An extreme option to be sure but this is a great method to softening and lifting built-up paint all the way back to the original surface. Extreme care needs to be taken to ensure areas do overheat and burn so slow movements to heat an area are followed by a paint scraper which will lift and remove the paint. This works really well on moldings or banisters that have many coats of paint layered across their fine detailing.

Post-Stripping Cleanup – no, you are not finished yet…

Even with all these different paint stripping techniques that are used by professional and amateur painters, there will always be some small patches of residue paint that will stick, no matter how many chemicals you throw at it. Unfortunately there is only way to tackle these sorts of stubborn paint patches and that’s elbow grease…and the following tools.

Scrapers - are a great option for corner, tapers and flat areas where any paint may have stuck, but use them with caution as they are very strong and may damage the wall if you use too much pressure. This is especially true if you are using the scraper on a wood surface with a great tip being to always move with the grain of the wood, minimizing any potential damage. Types of scarpers include:

• paint scrapers
• cabinet scrapers
• scraper blades
• putty knives

Steel Wool – ideal for areas in easy access where the paint may be stubborn, but doesn’t seem impossible to remove. It is best to use steel wool combined with chemical paint remover and just lightly scrub the area until the paint is removed. As a side note, you may have to repeat this process until everything is gone, and then just rub the area with either turpentine, mineral spirits or denatured alcohol depending on the instructions.

Sandpaper – this is appropriate for areas that may be too sensitive for steel wool but you will still have to be quite careful when it comes to removing paint from any wooden surfaces as there is still a chance for damage if you use too much pressure. A great tip is to use a sanding block on flat surfaces and a foam block on curves to achieve the best results while always going with the grain.

Electric Drill Attachments – most drills will come with an attachment that allows you to use either a wire brush and a rotary sanding attachment which are great to use on areas that are hard to reach (such as ceilings) but use carefully as they can easily cause damage.