Types of wood strippers and how to use the strippers

When restoring wooden products, it is often necessary to remove paint that has lost its strength and presentable appearance. To repaint a room, you must first completely get rid of the old decor. To remove paint materials from wood, use a stripper, thermal or mechanical method. Chemical compositions for dissolving dyes are among the most popular, since they do not spoil the wooden base of products.

How to remove paint from wood mechanically

In the mechanical method, abrasive materials are used, which, with a grain, peel off the paint layer from the surface. Small products can be cleaned of paint by hand, for a large area it is better to stock up with a power tool. Objects of complex configuration with many joints and depressions are difficult to clean mechanically.

Sandpaper

You can remove paint from a small piece of wood with sandpaper. First, take a skin with a coarse grain, it can remove most of the coating.Then use fine grit sandpaper to clean up any stain residue and sand the wood.

Drill

Grinding accessories are placed on the drill and the layer of paint and varnish is removed at low speed. The advantages of the method are the speed of work. The tool pressure is strictly controlled so as not to damage the shaft. You need to work in goggles and a respirator, because paint particles, dust fly in all directions.

Use an angle grinder

A petal emery disc is put on the angle grinder, the device operates at low speed. The part is placed in a horizontal plane, the machine is held with two hands. Work carefully so as not to remove part of the wooden base with the paint. The circle is regularly replaced, because it clogs with crumbs. Finishing is done with sandpaper, dust is swept away, wiped with a damp cloth.

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iron brush

Corded brushes are made of a metal wire that quickly removes the layer of paint. A manual iron brush can be used to remove paint from hard-to-reach places, corners, joints that are hard to reach with a power tool or simple sandpaper. A corded brush can seriously damage the wood, you must work carefully, controlling the pressure.

Note: When mechanically stripping paint, multiple tools are typically used.

Thermal methods for removing old paint

When heated, the paint layer swells, cracks, the coating is easily removed with a scraper. This method is used for products that have been dyed multiple times. The main difficulties of the thermal method:

• high temperature is dangerous for hands and wood - you can dry or set fire to wood (with an open fire);
• if the product is complex, you can spoil other materials, in particular melt plastic, damage the wiring in the walls;
• toxic substances are released from the paint.

At high temperatures, the dye leaves the wood, the surface becomes clean, suitable for further processing in any way.

gas burner

This method is dangerous due to open flames and should be used with caution to prevent wood and paint from igniting. The result is often not happy - the tree is deformed, resin is released.

Construction site hair dryer

Using a hair dryer allows you to create heat without the risk of fire. The hot air gun is held in one hand 5 centimeters from the coating, the other immediately removes the peeling paint. Hot air dryers have different nozzles, the temperature is adjustable. It is necessary to protect your hands from burns during work, to protect surfaces for which heating is undesirable.

Apply paint stripper to remove paint from wood

A wash is a chemical that dissolves dyes. After applying the composition to the surface, the paint and varnish layer swells, the paint loses its adhesive properties, moves away from the surface of the wood. The wood becomes clean, smooth and uniform. Due to the absence of mechanical impact, friction, no wounds, chips, scratches remain on the surface, which worsens the appearance of the products.

Washes are useful for removing stains from a small area - they can be applied topically to a specific area (gel formulations).A chemical can be used to treat a bulky product (for example, a window frame, a door, without removing it from its hinges). It is easy to remove paint from a product of a complex configuration (furniture) with a liquid stripper.

Washes are easy to use, do not require labor skills, physical exertion and special tools.

Varieties of compositions

The industry produces an impressive range of paints on a variety of bases. As a result, washes are produced with the following properties:

1. Universal. Dissolves all types of dyes. This option is intended for cases where it is unclear what kind of paint material is applied to the tree. General-purpose washes are less expensive than specialty ones, but dissolving paint materials will take longer and require more reagent. They act more slowly, sometimes the product has to be reprocessed. Advantages - you do not have to worry about whether you guessed correctly with the base, if necessary, you can remove the paint from another product.
2. Specialized. The basis of the preparation is a specific type of solvent intended for the basis of a specific composition. These products are more expensive, but quickly remove paint from wood. Compositions are produced for removing the following dyes - polyurethane, alkyd, epoxy and others.

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Washes differ in the form of release - liquid, dry powder, gel. Dilute the wash to dry before use.

How to choose the right one

When choosing the type of washing, the following points are taken into account:

1. You need to choose special means for wood - they do not have a negative effect on wood, do not deform the surface.
2. Liquid formulations are suitable for wood carvings, complex shapes.The liquid penetrates into the corners, gaps, dissolves the paint over the entire surface.
3. Washing gels do not run, they adhere firmly even to vertical products. It is convenient for them to remove paint from doors, frames.
4. If the paint base is known, it is best to remove it with a specialist product designed for this type of stain.

When working with veneer furniture, experts recommend giving preference to preparations that can be removed with white spirit, so as not to damage the wood. When choosing, you need to read the instructions - substances may have restrictions on the conditions of use, the temperature range of use.

Work instructions

It is recommended to use a wash according to the following scheme:

1. Surface preparation stage. The product is cleaned of dirt, dust, washed. Wipe and dry.
2. All parts of the object that do not need to be cleaned of paint are securely covered with foil.
3. The composition is applied with a hard brush, roller or by immersion in a solution. Spread the wash gel gently over the surface. Let stand 5-60 minutes (as recommended by instructions). You should not keep the composition on the tree longer than the specified period.
4. After swelling, remove the paint layer with a tool. If the dye does not come out, apply the wash a second time. Use a scraper for flat parts, a scraper and scouring cloth for carved and curly items. Oak parts are treated with a sponge with an abrasive layer.
5. The tool is guided along the wood fibers.
6. After removing the layer of paint and varnish, wipe the entire part with white spirit. This will neutralize the wash and help to avoid the influence of the solvent on the wood.
7. Then washed in warm soapy water to remove residual oily components.

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Before starting the primer and new painting, the products are thoroughly dried.

Important: After removing the paint, the wooden parts are washed according to the instructions, do not allow the stripper to dry on the products.

Alternative deletion methods

You can remove the layer of paint and varnish from the tree using folk methods, if there is no ready-made remover. These methods are also called chemical - the substances used soften the dye, cause a weakening of adhesive properties.

caustic soda solution

Caustic soda is used to remove paint materials as follows:

• soda is diluted in water;
• apply the composition to the paint layer - for 1-2 hours;
• using a scraper, remove the swollen paint;
• if necessary, reapply caustic soda.

The product is washed with warm soapy water, then with clean water. When processing vertical parts, the solution is thickened with oatmeal so that it does not drip. Flour is added if the dye layer is large and old. In this case, dissolving the paint materials may take several hours.

whitening powder

Dissolve the bleach in the water and cover the paint layer with the solution. When the paint begins to peel off, remove it with a metal washcloth, scraper. Bleach also helps discolor stains on wood, kills fungus, and eliminates mildew. A bleach solution is used after ready-to-use washes to disinfect old wood products.

Precautions for work

Removing stains from wood is a difficult, time-consuming and dangerous process. When choosing any of the above methods, you should observe the safety precautions:

1. You need to work in protective clothing - gloves, overalls, goggles.
2. At work, they provide good lighting, reliable tables (preferably a workbench).
3. When using mechanical methods (especially with a power tool), you must protect your eyes, mouth and nose from flying crumbs.
4. It is best to work outdoors or indoors with good ventilation.
5. Do not work near naked flames and heaters. When using thermal methods, fire safety rules are observed.
6. If the washing product comes into contact with your skin or eyes, you should rinse them with running water. See a doctor if you have any allergies or burns.

The wash should be used only within the expiry dates set by the manufacturer.

The coat of paint and varnish on the wood ages and often needs updating. The best way to remove old coatings is to use washes. Ready-to-use preparations quickly dissolve paint materials, do not damage the wooden base, are non-toxic and safe for humans.