Paint Stripper

[Willa]

Some help / advice please.
I have been decorating since I was a nipper but have never used paint stripper. I need to remove about 3 coats of gloss / varnish to get to bare wood of a banister. What is the best way to remove it. Not to confident about using a heat gun.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Zampa]

Buy decent stuff like nitromors

Apply a couple of coats and let them do their work, when it comes to the next one, stipple it on, the action from the brush lifts the softened paint layer and help the fresh stripper get underneath it.

Just do a small managable section at a time, youl get board otherwise and it could also be wasteful of the stripper, which will just dry in.

Use a small stripping or filling knife blade on it...dont scrape at it in the normal fashion, hold it at 90 degrees and drag it down it

When you have stripped the paint you need to neutralise the remaining stripper that has soaked into the surface.
Do this by washing it down using hot water with a drop of washing up liquid or sugar soap in it or white spirit on its own.

Water is good and cheap but it can raise the grain a little.

Dont breath in the vapour from the hot water..it will contain fumes from the paint stripper.

Use one of those metal scourer things when your washing it down and rub in the direction of the grain.

Remember to take care when yuor throwing away the 'scrapings' wrap them in wet newspaper and put them in a plastic bag outside

 

[Willa]

Thanks Zampa,
Did what you said and it worked a treat. Mind though, the cat was high as a kite for a day or two from the fumes.

 

[baz227]

Hi Willa,

Yes I would say Nitromors as well. I have used it on several occasions and it does what it says on the tin. Another product I saw recently on one of the shopping channels, possibly QVC, is a more "friendly" product that you paint on and it would appear to strip several layers of paint or varnish off in a short period of time. You can also dip your fingers in it with apparently no ill effect. I have never used this product but it may be worth investigating?

Good luck,

Baz

 

[PilotPete]

I've always used Nitromors, but I don't think it does quite what it says on the tin! It claims that it can strip up to 15 coats! Well, I personally have had to apply 2 or 3 coats of the stripper to remove just a couple of coats, and primer/ undercoat is harder to get the Nitromors to work on.

A pal who stipped the underside of his sail boat got hold of some industrial stripper which apparently took the whole lot off in a oner! Dangerous stuff and full gauntlets required I think, but I guess this is not generally available to Joe Public. Anyone know where stronger strippers can be found? (ooh errr, that could be read another way!!!)