Paint Stripping

You all were so helpful with the insulation, I'm encouraged to ask about stripping the old paint off the jambs and sash.

I've tried chemical strippers before, but without much luck (they work, but take forever and multiple coats). I've used a heat gun, but the concern about lead is keeping me from continuing, plus it does such a small strip at a time that it becomes tedious.

150 per sash to have the windows done outside the home is more than I can afford.

Again, any and all suggestions are welcomed.

Sounds like a big task considering the time of year and the number of windows unless you have an out building to use, (dust, fumes, etc.), because all of the methods you mention may be needed for the results you're looking for.

Considering there my be quite a few different paint compounds involved they can act differently to the chemical strippers needed.

Mechanical stripping wheels and disks may help but again, an area outside the home should be used...maybe an inexpensive abrasive blaster could be used?

For wood I have resigned myself to sanding. Scrape off the heavy looses stuff. Use a heavy grit to sand off the roughest sections and scratch the surface, use elmer's wood filler like spackling to smooth out the surface filling in cracks and chipped paint. Do not fill in any wood seams because it will crack unless they are really solid joints. Use paintable caulk for that. Don't let it dry too much and you can sand it easy, if you let it go too long it gets hard to sand. If you try and sand too early it will fall apart while sanding.

If it's outdoors make sure it's outdoor version. They also make a version that has saw dust or some kind material in it, avoid it.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Elmer-s-Interior-and-E ... /203219413

One other thing, presumably you will be using powered sander. Don't concentrate on one area, you have to keep it moving or you are going to gunk up the paper and cause bigger mess than you already have.

michaelanthony wrote:Sounds like a big task considering the time of year and the number of windows unless you have an out building to use, (dust, fumes, etc.), because all of the methods you mention may be needed for the results you're looking for.

Considering there my be quite a few different paint compounds involved they can act differently to the chemical strippers needed.

Mechanical stripping wheels and disks may help but again, an area outside the home should be used...maybe an inexpensive abrasive blaster could be used?

Media blasting wood will leave the grain very uneven. The softer part of the grain gets blasted away faster than the harder parts of the grain. However, it's a great method if you want the "drift wood" affect.

For stripping indoors, about the safest way for the wood and the people is the slowest way - non-solvent chemical stripping. Rock Miracle is one of the better ones.

Paul

Richard S. wrote:For wood I have resigned myself to sanding. Scrape off the heavy looses stuff. Use a heavy grit to sand off the roughest sections and scratch the surface, use elmer's wood filler like spackling to smooth out the surface filling in cracks and chipped paint. Do not fill in any wood seams because it will crack unless they are really solid joints. Use paintable caulk for that. Don't let it dry too much and you can sand it easy, if you let it go too long it gets hard to sand. If you try and sand too early it will fall apart while sanding.

If it's outdoors make sure it's outdoor version. They also make a version that has saw dust or some kind material in it, avoid it.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Elmer-s-Interior-and-E ... /203219413

One other thing, presumably you will be using powered sander. Don't concentrate on one area, you have to keep it moving or you are going to gunk up the paper and cause bigger mess than you already have.

I've done this in the past, but in the areas that I don't strip completely the paint will peel in less than a years time.

I need to get to the bare wood in order to have any chance that the paint will last long term.

michaelanthony wrote:Sounds like a big task considering the time of year and the number of windows unless you have an out building to use, (dust, fumes, etc.), because all of the methods you mention may be needed for the results you're looking for.

Considering there my be quite a few different paint compounds involved they can act differently to the chemical strippers needed.

Mechanical stripping wheels and disks may help but again, an area outside the home should be used...maybe an inexpensive abrasive blaster could be used?

I have a garage that's not attached to the house, so if I don't go the heat gun route that's where I'll do the sashs. And this isn't going to happen overnight, I'm mainly working on the B room with 2 doors and 6 sashs, 2 of which are already done.

Has anyone tried those infrared paint strippers? Expensive as all get out, but in my case for the amount of stripping I have to do it wouldn't be a bad investment.

kstills wrote:
I've done this in the past, but in the areas that I don't strip completely the paint will peel in less than a years time.

The new paint or the old paint? You are using a primer? You don't want it super smooth when you sand it. Probably no more than 80 grit. Also be aware you cannot pout oil based paint over latex.

I did it on some porch posts at my Grandmother's house about 3 years ago. We're talking about 60 years of paint, it's held up well so far.

It's certainly not going to last as long as getting down to wood but there is no way around it not being a ridiculous amount of work if you want to get it down to wood.

Do what my Dad did, replace two or three windows every year. They pay for themselves eventually.... He had 30 windows to replace in the old house though. Think he started that around the time I was 10, by the time I was about 18 he was done. LOL He'd do one room each year.

Richard S. wrote:

kstills wrote:
I've done this in the past, but in the areas that I don't strip completely the paint will peel in less than a years time.

The new paint or the old paint? You are using a primer? You don't want it super smooth when you sand it. Probably no more than 80 grit. Also be aware you cannot pout oil based paint over latex.

I did it on some porch posts at my Grandmother's house about 3 years ago. We're talking about 60 years of paint, it's held up well so far.

It's certainly not going to last as long as getting down to wood but there is no way around it not being a ridiculous amount of work if you want to get it down to wood.

Do what my Dad did, replace two or three windows every year. They pay for themselves eventually.... He had 30 windows to replace in the old house though. Think he started that around the time I was 10, by the time I was about 18 he was done. LOL He'd do one room each year.

That's my current rate of recovering the windows.

How about a couple pictures?...we want pictures!

Richard S. wrote: The new paint or the old paint? You are using a primer? You don't want it super smooth when you sand it. Probably no more than 80 grit. Also be aware you cannot pout oil based paint over latex.

.

There is a layer of paint right against the wood that never, every chips off. The only time it comes off without me stripping it is in areas where it has seen outdoor exposure.

Nothing I've tried sticks to this crap. I've chemically etched it, roughed it with sandpaper, primered overtop, used enamel instead of latex.

The only thing that works is complete removal.

Ok, so here's how the weekend went.

I applied an NMP based stripping compound Friday night and covered the area with plastic wrap and let it sit for 24 hours.

Did almost nothing for removing the base layer that is the problem.

Sunday, I dialed my heat gun down to a lower setting, heated the paint in sections and it came off clean from the wood.

So I ordered the infrared paint remover. I'll have three days to try it out, then I either return it or buy it.

If it works, even though it's very expensive, I'll be buying it.

It will be available to the board for weekly rentals after I'm done with it.

So I bought the infrared paint stripper, and while PEX is still the best invention for the DIY'er, this thing is a very close second.

Like sex for the handyman.

I was able to strip 50year old enamel paint off of a two panel 32 inch solid wood door down to essentially bare wood in 3 hours. And 1/3 of that time was learning how to use it efficiently.

I suspect that I'll be able to pull the windows out of the jambs, take out the glass, strip the jambs, strip the sashes, re-glaze and put a coat of primer on both the sashes and the moulding and then replace the windows in the jambs in a days time.

Unbelievable time savings.

kstills wrote:So I bought the infrared paint stripper, and while PEX is still the best invention for the DIY'er, this thing is a very close second.

Like sex for the handyman.

I was able to strip 50year old enamel paint off of a two panel 32 inch solid wood door down to essentially bare wood in 3 hours. And 1/3 of that time was learning how to use it efficiently.

I suspect that I'll be able to pull the windows out of the jambs, take out the glass, strip the jambs, strip the sashes, re-glaze and put a coat of primer on both the sashes and the moulding and then replace the windows in the jambs in a days time.

Unbelievable time savings.

Any online link to the device? Be interested !

davidmcbeth3 wrote:

kstills wrote:So I bought the infrared paint stripper, and while PEX is still the best invention for the DIY'er, this thing is a very close second.

Like sex for the handyman.

I was able to strip 50year old enamel paint off of a two panel 32 inch solid wood door down to essentially bare wood in 3 hours. And 1/3 of that time was learning how to use it efficiently.

I suspect that I'll be able to pull the windows out of the jambs, take out the glass, strip the jambs, strip the sashes, re-glaze and put a coat of primer on both the sashes and the moulding and then replace the windows in the jambs in a days time.

Unbelievable time savings.

Any online link to the device? Be interested !

http://www.eco-strip.com/

It's 500 dollars.

Which is a lot.

However, in my case, I have 20 more windows and 10 more doors to repaint. So for me, it will pay for itself by spring. If you don't have that quantity of painting to do around your own home, it will be a very expensive toy.

But I absolutely guarantee the result. Paint comes off from the wood completely.

I paid 3 teenagers to sand my porch spindle's 10 years ago. They didn't do that great of a job. I'll keep this thing in mind for the spring.