Hello all. Currently I'm working on a 100 year old Victorian—1/2 remodel, 1/2 restoration. HO wants all paint stripped from second floor doors and trim, which is of course is lead based. Originally, I was going to remove all the trim and have it dipped with the doors but they're not so crazy about the idea— damage and what not. Personally, I like to remove interior trim when stripping lead based paint and explained why. The only product I've had good luck with doing onsite paint removal is peel away. I'm curious as to what methods and products you guys use? Always willing to try something new. Thanks.
paint stripping
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I don't read this as remediation, just prep for paint. RRP certification is fine.
I've tried just about everything. Peel Away is a little pricey for what it is. I became partial to Citristrip - not smelly, but works slowly (I cover it with painter's plastic and come back in a few hours or even the next day). If you're going to go with a clear finish instead of paint, don't use it to take off the final layer, it will change the wood color. Peel Away 7 is good for the final layer(s).
Fastest are still the old standby flammable and toxic / noxious strippers.
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Better you than me.
Give these guys a call & ask for Benny. He'll give you a solution.
http://www.bencosales.com/
http://www.bencosales.com/
I just stripped my trim paint. 100 yr old Vic. You can make your own peel away. Just Google homemade peel away recipe. It is lye, water, and cornstarch. Some use lime instead of cornstarch. Be careful with lye. WEAR goggles. That stuff can blind you. It works I'm not sure if it's as good as peel way. It is a lot cheaper tho. You may need to sign for the lye. I used both and had different results depending on type of paint. but it was a pain stripping all this. Also plan on sanding the trim some. It will raise the grain.
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Stripping paint isn't my kind of work other than a few bits here and there. I think if I was in that situation I would experiment with the peel away and if less than satisfactory results for the labor involved then I would try to insist on the removal and dipping. At least the job keeps moving without aggravation on your part.
With care I don't see why the trim couldn't be removed and reinstalled without damage.
With care I don't see why the trim couldn't be removed and reinstalled without damage.
Depends. Some trim has an edge that gets plastered over. I've also attempted to take apart door casing that was back banded. Not a big deal, except the nails used to hold the corners tight were slender cut nails that fish hooked when they were driven. I've also seen trim that was attached with 16d finish nails. I pretty much assume there is going to be some damage / breakage in every room - that seems to be the way it works out.
Not to mention you have to pry against something, and old plaster walls can start coming apart pretty easy.
Yes, I agree. 100 Yr ago they nailed it... I was afraid to remove my. Plus like Hdaivs said the plaster will prob break. Its hard to find a way to pry it off. I thought about doing the dip. First I was afraid of damage plus, I couldn't find a place local that dips wood. The Closest company stopped, because of new regulations and lack of work.
Benny has retired from Benco.
Using Peel A Away One or any lye based stripper will discolor the wood and probably change the PH of the wood. It will also make the wood fiber "spongier" so that it will require alot more on the finishing end. An altered ph can cause adhesion problems.
Using a solvent based stripper like standard MC or something like Citristrip, or Smart Strip will avoid these problems.
If there is a varnish coat under the paint, it will be a lot easier to strip.
This work is not lead abatement and does not require any license. Just follow RRP for lead safe practices. Contain , mask, and ventilate.
Sending out to a strip shop, just be sure they use a cold solvent method, and not a hot tank. Calling in more experienced on location wood strippers makes sense, if it's in the budget.
You could also talk to Mark from Besway.800 251 4166
Using Peel A Away One or any lye based stripper will discolor the wood and probably change the PH of the wood. It will also make the wood fiber "spongier" so that it will require alot more on the finishing end. An altered ph can cause adhesion problems.
Using a solvent based stripper like standard MC or something like Citristrip, or Smart Strip will avoid these problems.
If there is a varnish coat under the paint, it will be a lot easier to strip.
This work is not lead abatement and does not require any license. Just follow RRP for lead safe practices. Contain , mask, and ventilate.
Sending out to a strip shop, just be sure they use a cold solvent method, and not a hot tank. Calling in more experienced on location wood strippers makes sense, if it's in the budget.
You could also talk to Mark from Besway.800 251 4166
Haven't called down there for a year or so. Didn't know. Thanks for the heads up.:thumbsup:
You are absolutely correct. It made my trim darker. I think you can bleach it back. I didn't worry about it to much because we repainted. We washed the trim with vinegar. I didn't have a problem with adhesion, but washed the trim a couple of times plus sanded the raised grain. I striped with chemicals , but the heat gun works better. I just didn't want to smell lead fumes.:no: The problem I had with the lye was it ate away at the varnish coat leaving something of a mess (varnish paint mix). I will try the citristrip in the next rooms.
Don't expect miracles. Put it on reasonably thick, then cover with painter's plastic. How fast it will work depends on the paint, temp, how thick you put it on Expect to get 3-4 layers per application. Grinding some scrapers out of something like an old saw blade or drywall knife to more or less match profiles can be helpful.
I bought some cake icing knifes, from the dollar store, and ground them. Also used picks from a nut cracker set (worked great on detail stuff). :thumbsup:
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