I am considering repainting some redwood signs. /They have been painted with latex paint and are peeling. What are some good chemical paint strippers? Would a heat gun and scraper be better? Thanks for any advise.
Diane Balch
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Diane, That could be messy! I would use an orbital sander on the raised areas. If the background is peeling, A stiff brush will work.
Posted by Dan Streicher (Member # 4515) on :
Hey Dianne I have done this in the past and can not remember what product that we used to remove the latex paint, and underneath layer upon layer of multiple colors of paint was a 20yr old nice routed sign, I would just go to the hardware store and look on the back of bottles for one that removes latex...I would say to test it first but since you are trying to get the paint off what is the worse that could happen?
Posted by Danny Busselle (Member # 3746) on :
Product name is "Aircraft" Blue can with pictures of boats cars and aircraft. usually found in automotive paint stores, PPG Posted by Gavin Chachere (Member # 1443) on :
The Aircraft stripper Danny is talking about is excellent but its also probably the nastiest and most aggressive out there that you can buy...you can literally total a corvette with it inside of 30minutes or less if you're not careful...its not going to be gentle to the wood at all,and if there is any damaged spots it may not end up well....anyplace that you previously sealed/edgefilled/sealed up cracks etc will have to be redone...it takes the bondo etc off vehicles right along with everything else. I'm not doubting danny can use it successfully but he more than likely has done it a few hundred thousand times and knows the work window hes dealing with,i would be really hesitant to use it on something like that the first time i fooled with it...just $.08
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
a lot of paint strippers here work very well on enamels & lacquers, but are messy & poor with acrylics. Investigate it well. I find sanding works better (with acrylics) if possible.
best wishes!
Posted by Mike Languein (Member # 319) on :
I use "Aircraft" all the time on solvent base paints on metal with good results, but can't say yea or nay as to how it deals with latex. It will, however, soak into the wood, and that will cause you problems. It costs around $23 a gallon around here. I can say for sure that "Goof-Off" and "Goo Gone" do absolutely nothing to dried latex paint in spite of their hype. There are two recent developments in sand paper that work, one is a light grey color and the other is green and made to grind down latex. Both cost more than other papers, the green runs a couple bucks a sheet.
Posted by Mike Milos (Member # 4743) on :
I would try a pressure washer. Thats what we use to get latex off of a house before we paint it.
Posted by Murray MacDonald (Member # 3558) on :
I'd use Circa 1850 stripper and a stiff brushh. Works well and won't harm the wood or the glue joints. I'd be very nervous using a pressure washer...I've drilled holes in cedar with one! MUR
Posted by Tony McDonald (Member # 1158) on :
My wife and I have redone some furniture in the past. About the time we were done we found a much easier way. Before this method we were trying to sand, scrub the cracks with a tooth brush, etc...
We used the thin liquid stripper (not the gel) We put plastic and newspaper down and then set the furniure legs in four pans to catch the slop and reuse. Get some rubber gloves, a long sleeve shirt, eye protectant, and some steel wool. Wet the area you want stripped using the steel wool, and let it soak for about 15 minutes or so. Then getting it wet again with the stripper, scrub the surface with the steel wool keeping it really wet. Keep dipping into the pans to keep the steel wool soaked and the paint washes right off. When done wash it off with whatever the stripper can says to use.
It's a pretty messy job, but works great. Just don't get it all over you, in you eyes or blow yourself up!
Posted by Murray MacDonald (Member # 3558) on :
Tony Having done a ton of furniture in he past, i agree with everything you say, except the steel wool. If you refinish using any kind of latex, such as on a sign background, those tiny bits of metal that the steel wool leaves behind will come back to haunt you in the form of rust. A stiff brush works well, with a brass brush for the tight spots. Circa 1850 makes two varieties of stripper, light and heavy body. I've always had better results with the light.
MUR
Posted by Dusty Campbell (Member # 4601) on :
I love the line on the back of the can that says "let the stripper do the work". I've used 3M Scotchbrite pads (you know a green scrubby) rather than steel wool, a scraper, and brass brush. Also a set of probes kind of like dental tools you can get from most hardware stores for in the grain. Down in the grain may also have a thicker layer of paint, so a second chemical bath may be needed. You'll want to make sure all the residue is gone/neutralized too or your new paint won't like it. Personally, I really hate to strip paint.
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