7 best ways to remove old paint from a wooden door
Wooden doors not only look solid, but also have high thermal insulation and noise protection. Expensive wooden models delight in durability, serve for a long time, do not require special maintenance. As the operation progresses, the appearance of the wooden door deteriorates, how to remove the old paint, is of interest to owners of apartments and houses who want to modernize the interior a little, because it does not there is not enough money for major repairs, the purchase of products.
Characteristics of the paint
Before cleaning the door leaf, you need to determine what composition was previously applied to the surface, how many layers are present. Paints and varnishes contain chemicals. If the materials are incompatible, the new coating will be uneven, stains and chips will appear. Having clarified all the points, you can choose the right reagent that can easily remove the old paint.
There are several methods for removing the coating, sometimes they have to be combined with each other. After removing the varnish, you need to step on the surface with sandpaper, cover the cracks.
How to properly clean the door from old paint
Having determined the type of agent applied to the door leaf, choose the method of its removal, taking into account the number of layers. Before starting work, stock up on tools in the form:
- scraper;
- spatula;
- exercises;
- Hair dryer.
To remove dust, you will need a rag, cover the door with foil or wrap it with tape.
To prevent the smallest particles of wood or varnish from getting into the eyes, wear goggles. The airways are protected by a respirator.
chemical method
The simplest option, which allows you to remove old paint, does not require special equipment and electricity costs. The cracked coating is treated with a solvent. The chemical destroys the paint molecules and easily peels off the canvas surface. When choosing a reagent, it is necessary to take into account the type of wood from which the door is made.
Mechanical method
A cracked coating can be cleaned without using chemicals. Remove the old paint with a staple, when it falls back, remove it with a scraper. With the mechanical method, the surface of the door leaf does not need to be wetted with water, but sharp movements should be made, trying to avoid the appearance of marks on the shaft of the door. a sharp spatula.
The paint, which holds firmly, is removed with a drill or grinder, and applied in several layers by grinding. It is not recommended to use brushes as accessories for a power tool, the wire scratches the wood, and after cleaning the coating, the surface of the canvas must be primed.The mechanical method is not suitable for removing paint from an uneven door, the material cannot be removed from the joints and recesses, it will remain there.
Thermal method
Peeling paint can be heated, but the temperature of exposure should be selected taking into account the type of wood, so as not to destroy the structure of the material.The thermal method makes it possible to cope with old coatings that cannot be cleaned with a scraper. For heating:
- building hair dryers;
- torch or infrared lamp;
- gas burner.
Sandblasting, in which the paint under air pressure and the use of sand is broken into small particles and the canvas is not damaged, is not carried out at home. Expensive equipment is used only by specialists.
Varieties of washes
Even better, the paint is removed by special compounds that react with it. The canvas softens, but neither universal nor specialized washes affect the structure of the tree. The first products are suitable for removing various materials based on water or solvent.For the cleaning of certain varnishes and paints, special washes are available. They contain substances that affect the structure of a particular coating.
Powder
Paint and varnish removers come in different forms. In terms of consistency, the washes are liquid, which cleans well the surfaces decorated with engravings. Varnishes treat multiple layers of old cracked material. Dry mopping is more efficient, suitable for cleaning large areas and spreads evenly when water is added.
Dough
In order not to dilute the powder with liquid to achieve the desired consistency, you can buy a ready-made product in the form of a paste at the hardware store. The work is carried out in stages:
- The composition is applied to the surface with an ordinary brush.
- The door is wrapped with plastic wrap for 3 or 4 hours.
- The paint is removed with a sharp spatula, without pressing the tool.
- Water is combined with vinegar in a ratio of 5 to 1 and the remaining paste is removed.
The entire coating is not always removed at once, in which case the surface is sanded with sandpaper.
Using a nail polish remover, remove 8-10 coats of varnish or paint. You can make a paste yourself from caustic soda. The agent is dissolved in water, oatmeal is added.
Freeze
It is convenient to apply products having a gelatinous consistency on horizontal and vertical surfaces of different thicknesses to remove paint. One of the inexpensive yet effective Prestige gels requires no stirring or stirring before use. The wash is applied to the paint with a layer of 3 mm. After 3-5 minutes, the material is cleaned with a spatula.
Removes polyurethane, acrylic, epoxy Gel Syntilor Light coatings, acts very quickly, removes enamel, water-based paints from wooden surfaces. The product penetrates into the deep layers of the varnish, softening them. There are no acids in the gel, the composition is applied by roller or brush with a layer of 1 mm.
Special liquids
To remove paint from wooden surfaces with many small parts or engravings, it is advisable to use liquid reagents instead of paste or powder washes.
Substances clean wood from varnishes and paints based on polyurethane, oil, epoxy.
Before applying the composition to the door, wipe off dust and dirt, close the metal parts and start cleaning:
- The reagent is collected on a brush and distributed over the surface.
- The canvas is wrapped in polyethylene and left for the time specified in the instructions for the liquid.
- Lift the paint with a spatula and carefully remove it.
When using washing products, safety precautions should not be ignored, since they contain reactive substances. After removing the old coating, the wood is wiped with water and vinegar, primed, varnished, painted.
Features of cleaning a metal door
Washing agents and reagents allow you to remove cracked enamel, oil, acrylic, epoxy paint not only from wooden surfaces, but also to clean metal doors from various materials.The structure should d first be removed from the hinges, unscrewed the decorative covers and fittings, and removed the glass inserts. It is best to process the product with air reagents. In order for the paint to lag without straining, they heat it with a construction hair dryer, lubricate it with kerosene, then remove it only with a spatula, grind it with sandpaper.
A sander works well with old cracked coats. A nozzle is installed on the tool, on which the medium sprays. When using a construction hair dryer that melts the coating by exposure to hot air, care must be taken that the metal does not overheat. When bubbles form on the material, clean it with a spatula. A heat gun or a blowtorch quickly melts the paint, the rest of the substance is removed with a wire brush. Cracks or chips formed after the removal of the old coating are sealed with putty.
Before applying the new composition, the web is sanded.
Metal doors are cleaned in one of three ways, with the mechanical method sometimes the product is damaged, the thermal version is dangerous to human health. Using detergents and solvents allows you to quickly remove the coating without much effort.
Possible problems
Often it is not possible to immediately remove all layers of the old coating, and you have to start cleaning several times. When using the mechanical method, cracks form on the wooden sheet. They must be covered with putty, treated with a primer. The paint is poorly separated, if dust has settled on the surface, there are dirty spots. Wipe the door before cleaning. When heated with a hair dryer to a temperature above the maximum possible values, the tree darkens, dries out and cracks.
Additional tips and tricks
You can remove a thin layer of material from a small area without tools, just rub the canvas with a wire brush, sand with sandpaper. You can not store laundry in plastic packaging, the composition corrodes the container. When heated over an open flame, bubbles quickly form on the paint, but the wood often dries out or even burns. Builders do not recommend using chemicals, hair dryers, when there are plastic elements on the door that cannot be removed.
It is not advisable to heat the surface in places where the wiring is laid, this is fraught with short circuiting. In some cases, the coating does not need to be cleaned, and a new one is applied to the old layer. Before this, the coating is sanded, the dents are smoothed, washed with an alkaline solution and primed.And enamel, oil and acrylic paint should be removed if you want to achieve the effect of translucent wood.