BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood

Subject: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Goose Gander
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 01:50 PM

Looking for the best way to get 87 years of paint off the wood trim on a craftsman bungalow.

Please advise.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 01:58 PM

Are you in the UK or US?

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: gnu
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 02:08 PM

87 years... a match.

Now, if you were trying to get wood off an old paint, you could sell that on the internet.

Not to worry, JohnInKansas will undoubtedly have a number of options posted as soon as he sees this... guy knows everything!

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 02:27 PM

Here's a brief article on removing "10" layers.
"How to strip Years of Paint Off a House."
Paint removal

Hope it helps. We did something similar to an old farm cottage.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Goose Gander
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 02:38 PM

I'm in the US, on the west coast. I've read about something called Removall, which is non-toxic, but I don't know if it really works.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: gnu
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 03:03 PM

Wow! Great info Q.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: bobad
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 03:07 PM

In my opinion, to do the best job the easiest, you should remove the wood and work on it outside with a heat gun and or heavy duty paint strippers then replace it - this will look the best when finished. If you want to avoid working with the nasties (old paint invariably is full of lead) have it stripped professionally where it is dipped into baths of paint remover. This may raise the grain slightly but that can be remedied by light sanding. Do you know what kind of wood it is?

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 03:33 PM

Removing the wood is very difficult on many older houses. Damage to board ends, and exposure of the underlying framing, which may be quite different from that of modern frame houses, is a problem.

We did a good deal of scraping on the farmhouse, part by mechanical sanders and part by hand, but stripper used in corners and near overlaps, etc. The wood was attached to logs, cut and placed vertically on a foundation- unusual but not unknown in the area- apparently a log structure method used in eastern Europe- and brought over by immigrants. Logs were spruce and clading was spruce and pine.

Use of professionals with paint remover baths is impossible if one is far from urban centers. The closest to out farmhouse was about 350 miles, and set up for furniture. And expensive.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 06:33 PM

There cute sander attachments for angle grinders, drills, etc that look like those plastic dish washing pads - I am using them, and they are much better than sandpaper, slightly more expensive, and you have to take care not to overheat (shorter periods of use, not non-stop) or put too much pressure or you shorten their working life. Made by 3M and others.

For just trim would be good, could even use battery portable drill.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Art Thieme
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 06:54 PM

Before getting it off the wood, be sure to sing

"Goodbye Old Paint, I'm a-leavin Cheyenne"

That'll be a proper sendoff ------------------- er, sandoff!!

Art

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Rapparee
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 07:46 PM

For God's sake, and your own, wear a good respirator! You don't need lead poisoning OR lead-paint-dust around. In fact, you might want to consider paying (yuck!) a professional to do it.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Gurney
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 10:44 PM

I'll second Foolestroup's recommendation of the abrasive disc type of stripper pad, but I use them on an anglegrinder. These are more accurate to use,- You're holding closer to the disc- and anglegrinders spin faster, and cheap ones are fine for occasional use.
The pads are not too cheap, though, especially to do a whole house. And if there are protuding nails! They are so easy to use that there is a temptation to go right back to bare wood!
Rapaire's recommendation of respirators is very sound if the house is older than maybe 35 years. It was popular to use lead paints and primers once, and very good paint it was, too, for stopping rot.

As the project is a whole house, and an old house too, I'd try a blowlamp/blowtorch. You may be able to hire or buy one to go on the barbeque bottle. They are less effective on acrylic paints, better for oil-based paints, and the most economical system I know for lead paints, because the stripped debris falls straight down and is easily collected on a drop-sheet for disposal. You really don't want lead debris around your house. It lasts forever, and is forever a threat. Respirator again, and safety glasses. Old carpet, upside down, for a dropsheet. You don't burn the paint off, you soften it and scrape it off. An old woollen glove on your 'scraper' hand until you become practised/coordinated.
Chemical paintstripper indoors.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 11:36 PM

Oh, Gurney - and a bucket of water. Very helpful if the grass near the house is dry - and dunking the scraper occasionally helps to stop losing the temper out of the scraper.


Now that I have time to think about it - you should buy another mare - give Older Wood a break.... :-P

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Old Paint Off Older Wood
From: Goose Gander
Date: 16 Jul 10 - 03:26 AM

If I could afford to pay someone to do this, I would not be doing it myself. This is NOT my 'fun summer project' . . .