What To Use To Remove Old Paint From Baseboards,etc

Nosotros get a steady stream of customers asking united states of america for advice about paint stripper use and how to remove pigment and varnish from wood. Here's some practical information about stripping paint from wood, designed to aid you choose the correct product.

paint-stripper-and-varnish-removers — Fast and effective removal of paint using a paint stripper and scraper

Removing paint from wood

You might exist the lucky owner of a lovely period home, or accept an old forest floor that you're sure will come up beautifully with a flake of work. You may have found a fabulous piece of onetime furniture smothered with nasty, brown, shiny varnish that's begging for some TLC, or you might suspect there's something actually special under all those layers of ancient paint on your doors. Whatever you want to exercise, first you'll need to get all of that rubbish off the surface to reveal the stunning forest beneath. Thankfully contemporary stripping products are relatively simple, effective and safe to utilise. Much better than the bad old days when your only choice was pure caustic soda, nasty stuff!

What kinds of wood can you strip?

You tin can strip any kind of woods, even heavily-carved woods, as long equally you use the right products and materials and follow the instructions meticulously, particularly if you desire to strip something expensive, rare or precious.

Outdoor and indoor furniture
Exterior and interior doors and door frames
Stair rail and banisters
Antique and vintage piece of furniture
Window frames and sills
Floorboards
Parquet flooring
Built-in furniture
Skirting boards

How to remove paint from wood – iii ways

There are three ways of removing paint from wood: sanding, using a hot air gun and chemical pigment strippers.

Sanding is best kept for pocket-sized projects unless you lot want to hire an industrial sander to remove paint and varnish from your floor. A quick discussion about sandpaper and wire wool, both of which can crusade damage to woods unless you lot accept it easy… When you sand wood y'all take the surface off, and yous need to do it equally evenly as possible without rubbing it thin in places or creating gouges. Power tools assist considering their design forces you to apply even pressure. Whether you're sanding past hand or with a machine, experts recommend you lot take it boring and easy until you become a experience for it. At that place'due south plenty of practiced advice online most sanding wood to perfection, and some fantabulous guidance here on the Menstruation Property website.
An electric hot air gun removes paint in no fourth dimension just tin scorch the wood if you lot're not careful. Scorching is less important, of course, when you're planning to re-paint the wood. Acquit in mind, also, that a hot air gun can only be used as a paint remover, not a varnish remover equally varnishes tend to go very gooey, almost glue-like, when heated.
Chemic stripping is the all-time method for stripping carved wood with hard-to-reach, intricate areas, but in reality, you will probably employ a combination of mechanical and chemical methods for your project, specially if you accept layer-upon-layer of old pigment to have off. Chemical paint removers deliver the all-time results, remove varnishes and paints faster than sanding, and tend to be the to the lowest degree harsh. Care needs to exist taken when using chemical strippers, however, as these nowadays their own intendance and safety bug.

As Kirsty Allsop says on the Channel 4 Homes website:

"Chemical strippers, available from DIY stores, are expert for intricately carved wood. Y'all will need to follow the manufacturer'due south instructions as these vary. Make sure you continue the area you're working in well ventilated. Protect the flooring with dust sheets or thick newspaper. To go a chemical stripper into nooks and crannies on intricate woodwork, apply wire wool. Also, check the manufacturer's instructions to encounter if yous need to neutralise the stripped woodwork."

Different types of chemical wood stripper

Solvent pigment removers take off all kinds of finishes, even contemporary ones. They are usually very gentle on the wood and won't damage it, which is why they're used in the antiquarian trade. There's no discolouration and solvents go the wood cleaner, deeper down into the grain. On the downside, you tend to use more of information technology, and so it can terminate upwardly more expensive than a caustic stripper. Solvents can also take a potent odour and must only be used in very well-ventilated areas. Last of all, you might have to work a bit harder to remove heavy paint build-ups than with a caustic pigment stripper. So to sum up, solvent strippers are:

More expensive and messy to apply
Not and so good at removing heavy paint
Cause no harm or staining
Tin have a potent odour
Give a cleaner, effectively finish
Perfect if y'all want that "natural expect"
The all-time product for stripping old, damaged items similar beams

Caustic paint removers have off well-nigh finishes and are particularly skillful at getting rid of thick layers of pigment and varnish. They give off fewer fumes than solvent-based paint strippers, are cheaper and tend to work faster. On the other hand, caustic products usually incorporate a very strong alkaline which may react with chemicals in the woods resulting in staining or scorching of the wood. This is more mutual with dumbo woods such every bit mahogany and some types of Oak, especially old Oak. In summary, caustic removers are:

Perfect for removing heavy paint build-ups
Not bad for complicated mouldings
Best reserved for stripping pino doors that volition be repainted or stained
All-time suited for utilize on plaster, stone and metal (Delight Note: They may not be suitable for aluminium)

What'due south the best paint stripper for wood? You tin can always test drive a few different products to run into which stripper all-time suits the job and matches your capabilities. Simply behave out testing in inconspicuous areas and keep your test areas small.

Does the pigment you're stripping contain lead?

Nigh paints manufactured earlier 1960 comprise lead, so if you're stripping something older than that information technology's always wise to check. You can selection upwards a lead testing kit at your local decorating heart or DIY shop.

If you find whatever pb, the British Coatings Federation accept produced a leaflet about how to deal with it, which y'all can read hither: "Old Lead Painted Surfaces – A Guide on Repainting and Removal for DIY and Professional Painters and Decorators".

How practice chemical paint strippers work?

Chemical pigment stripping and varnish stripping products partially dissolve the paint or varnish. You lot can buy paste and gel pigment stripping products, which are handy because they're then thick that they stick to vertical surfaces – perfect if the item you desire to strip tin can't exist moved.

4 steps to stripping pigment from woods

Plain every product is slightly different. But equally a general rule your showtime step is to utilize a thick layer of stripper with an onetime pigment brush you can throw away afterward. Make sure you force the production into any carved, intricate areas. Don't paint it on like emulsion, dollop it on generously and so work it into the surface.
Step away! Different products work over different timescales. Go out it alone until the product has done its thing, according to the instructions.
Once the pigment has softened, scrape it off with a plastic or metallic scraper. You tin apply steel wool to get rid of stubborn areas of pigment or varnish, and old toothbrushes and wire brushes are as well useful. Have care with metal scrapers when stripping wood so as to avoid scratching or gouging the wood when removing the pigment or varnish.
If there's nevertheless some paint left, re-apply the stripper and become through the procedure again until it'south all gone. Then, if the instructions tell you to, launder the stripped item to neutralise the active chemicals.

Pigment removal from wood – Safety recommendations

Wear old apparel
Chemical pigment strippers requite off fumes, some of which are toxic. If the instructions say you should only use it outdoors, then follow them
Whatever product y'all use, it makes sense to wear gloves and a face mask
To avoid causing harm to the surrounding area, lay old newspaper, a tarp or drop sheet underneath the particular you're working on
Never exit the chapeau off – you don't want fumes evaporating into your workspace

What is the best paint stripper and varnish remover?

Paints and varnishes have evolved over the years, so have their formulations and chemical make-upward. Pigment strippers and removers have besides had to evolve to keep pace with these new formulations. As a result, its often the case that where ane blazon of stripper works perfectly with a modern paint formulation, it may be ineffective against an sometime paint or varnish from the 1960'southward or 70's. The same applies the other way round, where strippers that are effective against old paints may not be as effective on new paints and varnishes. So what is the answer?

Pigment strippers and varnish removers are ordinarily available in sample or minor tin can sizes of between 250ml to 500ml. Our recommendation is to buy a sample or small tin and to trial the effectiveness of a product earlier committing to buying the quantity of wood stripper needed for the projection. This could save fourth dimension and money in the long run.

Nosotros highly recommend Paint Panther Paint and Varnish Remover, i of the best forest strippers on the market for mean solar day to day paint and varnish removal. Information technology's great for removing paint and varnish from wood. Information technology's a remarkable product, highly effective and incredibly fast-acting, removing as many as six layers in just five minutes! Information technology's a gel, sticking conveniently to vertical surfaces, and it is platonic for removing water, oil and solvent-based paints, varnishes and lacquers.

We also dear PeelAway ane and PeelAway 7, which are both used to restore antiques and items like decorative or carved fireplaces, wooden or plaster coving, cornices and ceiling roses. The 'Pare Away' paint removal systems piece of work by applying a poultice or paste over the painted areas. Left for a menstruation of between 12 and 48 hours, the PeelAway poultice dissolves the many layers of paint accumulated over the years. The dried poultice is then removed with a spatula, pulling out the dissolved paint from deep detailing, nooks and crannies to restore the intricate particular and design of the original piece.

PeelAway ane is ameliorate suited to paints from the 1970's and prior, the old-style metal and atomic number 82-based types. PeelAway vii works amend on modern paints, dating from the late 1970'due south onwards. For some projects you might need to bring both into play, using PeelAway 7 on the newer layers and PeelAway 1 on the deeper layers. PeelAway 1 is caustic-based, then always attempt a exam patch get-go. Remember, caustic-based strippers can scorch the surface of some woods, such as old Oak and Mahogany.

Both PeelAway products are available in a handy PeelAway 1 and 7 Sample Twin Pack, making it easier to test each product to find out which works best for your paint removal projection.

All PeelAway products are supplied equally a kit including an application spatula and protective blankets, to prevent the applied poultice or paste from drying out too quickly and before it has dissolved the paint or varnish. If required, extra PeelAway 1 Neutralizer and PeelAway 1 spare blankets, likewise equally PeelAway 7 spare blankets are also available. These are useful if the protective blankets need to be cut to shape or into strips for metal pipes, table legs or other required shapes.

Here'southward a blog postal service in which we give the Peelaway paint remover a rigorous trial.

Cute, clean, stripped wood…revealed. What'southward side by side?

You've stripped it. Now it's time to choose your wood finish. Nosotros have a huge selection of amazing products designed to breathe new life into your forest, whether it'due south a gorgeous old floor, a splendid piece of antique or vintage article of furniture, a pino door or rococo picture frame.

Here are some ideas to assistance you get creative with your skilful-as-new forest:

Smooth information technology to a stunning mirror-similar sheen with a deep-nourishing woods wax smooth
Colour it with a vast pick of superb wood stain shades
Oil it with a clear or coloured wood oil
Preserve information technology – essential for exterior wood; apply a clear or coloured wood preserver
Lacquer information technology with a high quality wood lacquer
Dye it with a h2o-based or solvent-based wood dye
Re-paint it – off with the old and on with the new. Choose a matt, satin or gloss interior or outside woods paint
Paint and distress it for a absurd, shabby chic look with a matt emulsion, dirt or chalk paint

Paint and varnish strippers aren't the only removers we exercise. Come across our total range of paint, varnish, wax, stain and smooth removers to discover the product for your interior, exterior restoration or renovation projection.

Need more help with paint strippers?

We'd be delighted to help. Just contact our team of wood finishing experts. They're always on mitt to offering friendly help and advice. Alternatively, visit our woods stripper and remover FAQ page which covers many of our almost commonly asked questions.

We love to see before, during and after photos of any woods finishing project. If you would like to share your decking project pictures with u.s., you tin can either send us some photos or share on our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram pages.