Removing Paint From Wood Molding
What Type of Paint
Knowing what you are removing helps to decide what type of remover to use and do it. There are latex and oil-based paints, lacquers and old lead paint, just to name a few. If you are dealing with any paint made before 1978 it could contain lead. Lead can cause serious health problems and the removal of lead paint should be done with care. A respirator should be worn at all times and the removal should never be done by sanding. If you have to remove the paint indoors, cover all furniture and floors with plastic sheeting and keep the area well ventilated. If you are unsure if the paint contains lead, you can get a lead testing kit at most hardware and home improvement stores. If you don't test, but are still unsure, take all the necessary precautions as if it were lead paint.
Stripping Products
You can spend hours in the paint removal aisles deciding what type of product to use. If you know what type of paint it is you are trying to remove, then you will have less trouble deciding which stripper to use, as most of them are very specific to certain types of finishes.
Most paint strippers are very toxic and the fumes alone can make you wish you never started the project. There are a couple of products that are safer to use and don't have that horrible smell. PeelAway paint strippers have products for every kind of paint and finish. Some of its products are great for removing lead paint and have very little irritants in them. Wearing gloves, protective eyewear and a respirator is still the best way to assure that you aren't harmed by the stripper or the lead paint. Another "green" paint remover is Krud Kutter. They make cleaning products, adhesive removers and paint removers that are not harmful to the environment. These are the best products to start with if you are worried about working with chemicals. You will also need various rags, scrapers and denatured alcohol works wonders for getting rid of residue, if you can handle the smell.
Stripping the Wood
Most of the time when you are stripping molding, it is left in place. For this reason, you would want to use a gel or cream type stripper. Liquids will make a mess and be very hard to work with. All strippers are different, so care must be taken to read the manufacturer's directions on use it and how long to leave it on before you start to scrape off the paint.
If you have a nice flat or even a slightly curved molding, a regular scraper will be fine. But if you're dealing with a very decorative piece, it just became a little more difficult. PeelAway 7 paint stripper is a cream applied with a plastic utensil that looks like a spatula. Then a paper covering goes over the cream and sits overnight. The next day you just peel off the paper and most of the paint comes with it. This works well with multiple layers of paint, too.
Sometimes it is necessary to use picks to get into the deep detailing of the molding. After the paint is removed with any paint stripper, you can get the residue off with denatured alcohol. When the piece is dry, you can use a small strip of sandpaper to carefully remove any paint that hasn't come off. If you are sure the paint is not a lead paint, you can use a sander on any molding to remove paint. Just keep your area contained so the dust does not travel all through your home and wear a respirator. You don't want to breathe it even if it isn't filled with lead. Stripping molding takes time, a lot of time. So be prepared for the long haul and bring along your patience.
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