Urban strip tease
August 11, 2008 10:12 AM Subscribe
HomeImprovementFilter: Looking for the most pet and human friendly way to strip paint off of various surfaces in our home, one of which is a pine banister that's over 100 years old.
Does anyone have any experience with soy-based strippers like this one, which still "contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm". Yikes! Anything a little less death-dealing, or should I not be too alarmed about what California says? What are your favorite methods for getting rid of a hundred years of lead and latex paint in a weekend, and where can I buy them?
Does anyone have any experience with soy-based strippers like this one, which still "contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm". Yikes! Anything a little less death-dealing, or should I not be too alarmed about what California says? What are your favorite methods for getting rid of a hundred years of lead and latex paint in a weekend, and where can I buy them?
Response by poster: @JMOZ: Hmm. Haven't really thought about it. I suppose I could sand, but the lure of chemicals eating away the paint in lieu of hours of sanding is awfully tempting. And I think you have a point about California.
posted by littlerobothead at 10:22 AM on August 11, 2008
posted by littlerobothead at 10:22 AM on August 11, 2008
They have those signs up at laundromats in California as well. I think a lot of chemicals qualify for that designation. My experience with gel strippers (but not that exact one) is that they are OK but require several applications to get off multiple layers of paint. I have stripped off the same 100-years worth of various paints and stains and my conclusions is that there is no good way.
Stripper
PRO: encapsulates the lead paint if present, not too smelly, gentle to underlying wood
CON: slow, gooey, don't drip it on anything, lots of mess to dispose of
Heat Gun
PRO: You never run out halfway through
CON: smells, sometimes will scorch wood, maybe releases fumes from lead paint
Apparently the best heat strippers are the infrared ones: Eco-Strip but I have never used one personally.
Aldso, if you're stripping old wood trim it can be soft, so get a maple wedge as opposed to always using a metal scraper as it is less likely to scratch the wood. They sell them in the stripper section at big box hardware stores. Fine steel wool works well to get stuff out of small curved sections.
posted by GuyZero at 10:22 AM on August 11, 2008
Stripper
PRO: encapsulates the lead paint if present, not too smelly, gentle to underlying wood
CON: slow, gooey, don't drip it on anything, lots of mess to dispose of
Heat Gun
PRO: You never run out halfway through
CON: smells, sometimes will scorch wood, maybe releases fumes from lead paint
Apparently the best heat strippers are the infrared ones: Eco-Strip but I have never used one personally.
Aldso, if you're stripping old wood trim it can be soft, so get a maple wedge as opposed to always using a metal scraper as it is less likely to scratch the wood. They sell them in the stripper section at big box hardware stores. Fine steel wool works well to get stuff out of small curved sections.
posted by GuyZero at 10:22 AM on August 11, 2008
Oh lord, don't sand it. You'll use a million dollars worth of sandpaper and take forever. Plus lead paint dust issues.
posted by GuyZero at 10:24 AM on August 11, 2008
posted by GuyZero at 10:24 AM on August 11, 2008
I've used soygel on alot of thigns in our house, it works great and doesn't smell. I use it around our cat with no issues.
I've used it on a painted brick fireplace as well.
If you have alot of layers, you have to leave it on for a few hours or overnight.
posted by nougat at 10:30 AM on August 11, 2008
I've used it on a painted brick fireplace as well.
If you have alot of layers, you have to leave it on for a few hours or overnight.
posted by nougat at 10:30 AM on August 11, 2008
heat gun and a good scraper. no chemicals necessary.
posted by gnutron at 10:31 AM on August 11, 2008
posted by gnutron at 10:31 AM on August 11, 2008
Paint strippers contain things like benzene, petroleum hydrocarbons, methylene chloride, and methanol. And good for California to point out these dangers, if only to get people to use masks and ventilation.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:36 AM on August 11, 2008
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:36 AM on August 11, 2008
I have had good luck with card scrapers. Less dust than sandpaper.
posted by Killick at 10:48 AM on August 11, 2008
posted by Killick at 10:48 AM on August 11, 2008
If you have alot of layers, you have to leave it on for a few hours or overnight.
This depends on the specific stripper. Some water-based strippers will simply dry out after an hour leaving you with bubbly yet dry paint. You'll need to check the directions for the stripper you buy to see how long it can be left on for.
posted by GuyZero at 10:57 AM on August 11, 2008
This depends on the specific stripper. Some water-based strippers will simply dry out after an hour leaving you with bubbly yet dry paint. You'll need to check the directions for the stripper you buy to see how long it can be left on for.
posted by GuyZero at 10:57 AM on August 11, 2008
According to the guys who estimated the work to strip and refinish my 100-year-old woodwork, anything with a layer of paint that predates the 1970's will shed lead dust into the environment. They recommended boarding my pets during the work (which--for a number of reasons I never actually had done).
I did some of my own successful paintstripping with a heat gun and a scraper. It was much simpler and more effective than the goo I used to strip paint off a dresser.
posted by crush-onastick at 11:16 AM on August 11, 2008
I did some of my own successful paintstripping with a heat gun and a scraper. It was much simpler and more effective than the goo I used to strip paint off a dresser.
posted by crush-onastick at 11:16 AM on August 11, 2008
Response by poster: @GuyZero: That Eco-Strip thing is just bad ass. I think it might be a bit pricey for this job, though.
posted by littlerobothead at 11:19 AM on August 11, 2008
posted by littlerobothead at 11:19 AM on August 11, 2008
We had multiple layers of old paint to peel back here last year, so I bought the strongest stuff I could find. I wore thick rubber gloves, a long-sleeve shirt, thick jeans, workboots, and goggles, kept the dog away, and ensured there were no open flames / sparks / smokers nearby. I turned out alright, but the stuff barely worked. It loosened the top layers, but it took multiple coats and laborious scraping to get it all off. I don't recall exactly what the stuff I used was, but it was labeled as being explosive, producing toxic vapors, and a carcinogen. So I'd be wary of anything 'gentle,' given that the super-hazardous stuff doesn't seem to work terribly well.
I've read that heat guns work well, but I'd caution against them: by definition, you're blasting extreme heat at dry wood. I read in the paper last week, actually, about a house in the next town over that caught fire this way, actually: a worker was using a heat gun... The wood he was working on seemed fine, but he was oblivious to the nest inside the wall that caught fire... Until he noticed smoke pouring out. That's the scary part: stuff inside the wall is perhaps the most dangerous part, and you can't see it.
I'd say you open the house up nice and wide, put in some fans for ventilation, and have someone take the pets for a nice long walk while you use some super-dangerous chemicals, with appropriate protection. The chemicals are quite nasty, but if you take adequate precautions, they'll only be able to exert their nastiness on your paint. And then just clean up well afterwards.
Though cleaning up lead paint is often one of those "you might just save yourself a lot of money and hassle in the long run if you call a professional" things.
posted by fogster at 11:53 AM on August 11, 2008
I've read that heat guns work well, but I'd caution against them: by definition, you're blasting extreme heat at dry wood. I read in the paper last week, actually, about a house in the next town over that caught fire this way, actually: a worker was using a heat gun... The wood he was working on seemed fine, but he was oblivious to the nest inside the wall that caught fire... Until he noticed smoke pouring out. That's the scary part: stuff inside the wall is perhaps the most dangerous part, and you can't see it.
I'd say you open the house up nice and wide, put in some fans for ventilation, and have someone take the pets for a nice long walk while you use some super-dangerous chemicals, with appropriate protection. The chemicals are quite nasty, but if you take adequate precautions, they'll only be able to exert their nastiness on your paint. And then just clean up well afterwards.
Though cleaning up lead paint is often one of those "you might just save yourself a lot of money and hassle in the long run if you call a professional" things.
posted by fogster at 11:53 AM on August 11, 2008
Actually, I'm sorry that I seem obsessed with the word 'actually' in that post: "I read in the paper last week, actually, about a house in the next town over that caught fire this way, actually""
posted by fogster at 11:55 AM on August 11, 2008
posted by fogster at 11:55 AM on August 11, 2008
heat gun and a good scraper. no chemicals necessary.
your banister most likely has (many layers of) lead paint on it. a heat gun will release those lead toxins into the air in your house, which can sicken you (or, more likely, kill your pets).
also, be aware that you must dispose of any used chemical stripper and stripped-off paint per your local hazmat codes. as fogster concluded, you might be better off hiring a professional for this one.
posted by killy willy at 2:30 PM on August 11, 2008
your banister most likely has (many layers of) lead paint on it. a heat gun will release those lead toxins into the air in your house, which can sicken you (or, more likely, kill your pets).
also, be aware that you must dispose of any used chemical stripper and stripped-off paint per your local hazmat codes. as fogster concluded, you might be better off hiring a professional for this one.
posted by killy willy at 2:30 PM on August 11, 2008
Build it yourself paint strippers:
Quartz ceramic from this previous post.
Infrared heat from instructables dot com This was based on the first link above.
posted by Daddy-O at 2:50 PM on August 11, 2008
Quartz ceramic from this previous post.
Infrared heat from instructables dot com This was based on the first link above.
posted by Daddy-O at 2:50 PM on August 11, 2008
A good scraping tool will, when applied properly to an appropriate surface, remove a great deal of finish without chemicals or heat. Aside from that, as noted already, add heat. (I've recently restored some pine windows and doors.)
Do not sand unless you are working with an excellent tool with fantastic dust collection (which will set you back a large sum of money). As noted, you do need to exercise caution with a heat gun, so as not to burn the wood (and spoiling any semi-transparent finish. Although, thinking deeper into your question, consider that the wood you are stripping was likely always a painted surface.)
Best thing about working with wood is that it is wood. It is fairly forgiving of errors and readily repaired.
Also, do not use a chisel in the manner shown in that above linked video; if you are going to scrape with a chisel, the proper way to do so is with the cutting edge roughly perpendicular to the surface being scraped, not roughly parallel to it. With two hands on the tool at all times.
posted by Dick Paris at 6:11 PM on August 11, 2008
Do not sand unless you are working with an excellent tool with fantastic dust collection (which will set you back a large sum of money). As noted, you do need to exercise caution with a heat gun, so as not to burn the wood (and spoiling any semi-transparent finish. Although, thinking deeper into your question, consider that the wood you are stripping was likely always a painted surface.)
Best thing about working with wood is that it is wood. It is fairly forgiving of errors and readily repaired.
Also, do not use a chisel in the manner shown in that above linked video; if you are going to scrape with a chisel, the proper way to do so is with the cutting edge roughly perpendicular to the surface being scraped, not roughly parallel to it. With two hands on the tool at all times.
posted by Dick Paris at 6:11 PM on August 11, 2008
Was just going to recommend what Daddy-O said. You can build yourself a fantabulous quartz-ceramic paint stripper for peanuts.
They. Are. Magic.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:37 PM on August 11, 2008
They. Are. Magic.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:37 PM on August 11, 2008
here are the guidelines that the state of New York health department recommends for lead paint removal.
posted by killy willy at 11:07 PM on August 11, 2008
posted by killy willy at 11:07 PM on August 11, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
Are you sure you want a chemical stripper rather than a sander with a wet-dry vac attached?
posted by JMOZ at 10:17 AM on August 11, 2008