who has a lot of stripper experience?

[mrbigstuff]

I'm looking to strip paint from some steps that have beenpainted for the last few decades (at least) so it's probably about 3-5 coats of paint.

The more ambitious step would be to strip the balustrade on the stairwell, but I'll take it one step at a time (har har).

Any environmental considerations I should think about relative to the toxicity of these chemicals - like abandoning habitation for several days or so forth?

[Paul F.]

SO not what I thought this thread was going to be about :-)


I think the main thing is to READ the product info on the paint stripper you're planning on using, and then go to the manufacturers web site and download the MSDS information and read it...
Then you can decide what safety precautions are wise.

I would definitely invest in gloves and drop-cloths...

[tortoise]

for 3-5 coats of old paint a good heat gun and putty knife might prove quicker and less toxic than the chemical route? YMMV

[Mike Johnson]

There's a whole range of paint strippers from benign (and nearly ineffective) to nasty (and effective). I think Citristrip is a great balance.

I wouldn't use a heat gun on really old paint unless you test it for lead first.

[mrbigstuff]

just checked: not more than three coats

[Jimmypoo]

Although I have more experience with Paul on this one...

It all depends on whether you can apply water liberally for the best of them, that being, methyl chloride.

It will lift any paint or stain, and depending on what it is attached to, can often do it with minimal
scraping (for example... on your car, it will lift paint off like a piece of tape!).

Water neutralizes it - but if you can't use a hose liberally, then probably not the best choice. If you can
take the wood out to the garage or driveway - wear gloves and shoes that can be tossed if needed,
paint the stuff on - let it sit for 10-15 minutes, and the paint will literally lift off.

A wire brush and scraper will help you get into crevices/designs.

The stuff burns skin just like heat - so if you get any on you, wash it off with cold water right away.
I once had a pair of shoes fall apart and I didn't notice it until my feet started burning. I was removing
paint from a painted concrete (outdoor) stair set as well as the adhesive from the astroturf that I had
pulled up.

Soap for clean-up really isn't necessary, though the surfactant might be useful in getting all the scrapings
to round up via hose sprayer. Water is key though - so you need to be able to use it liberally. To both
stop any process you want to halt immediately, as well as wash off anything that got beyond your
gloves/hat/eyewear/etc.

[OWC Jamie]

Using a open flame heat gun appproach on one side of a stair and volatile chemical strippers on the other can lead to compatibility issues towards the center of a step.

3 coats of paint ?
must be rather thick coats.

It's all flaking off and won't support a top coat ?


Rent a belt sander ?
and hope there isn't any lead in the old paint ?

[N-OS X-tasy!]

Yes to the first question. I can't help you with any of the rest of your post, however.

[deckeda]

This thread is worthless without...the USB Stripper.

[NewtonMP2100]

....very experimental during college years......