Removing paint was always a scary process to me: put on a chemical, wait for it to do the work, then take it off - seems simple enough. But the chemical itself worries me. I mean, paint, poly, all that stuff is toxic enough, but if you need some other solution to take it back off... that seems way more harsh to me. When I found myself needing to remove paint for a project gone awry, I found a tool through
HomeRight that was made to remove paint - and it was chemical free - so I decided try it to see if it would work. After a little research (and a lot of trial and error), I finally learned how to remove paint without chemicals.
*Homeright provided me with the product for this post*
Using a heat gun to remove paint is super, duper easy. If you can dry your hair and brush it at the same time, you can do it. I used the
Heat Pro Deluxe II by HomeRight, which they sent to me to try.
The heat loosens up the paint, so that you can remove it with the scraper (also included in the kit.) For large flat surfaces (like a table top), There is an attachment that helps channel the hot air (that's over 1000 degrees!) right where you want it to go. I worked in small 4 inch square areas, so the paint wouldn't cool and reharden before scraping.
After you have heated the paint until it bubbles up, use the tool to scrape the paint off of the surface. If you have multiple layers, you may need to reheat a bit to get the layers all the way to bare wood.
Once you have all the paint removed, then sand the area well and repaint.
I decided to put a white top onto my grey cabinet to lighten it up a bit - and I'm really happy with the two tone treatment. Like the flower arrangement on top? Stop back by tomorrow to learn how to make it!
Edited to add: Please read through all precautions, etc. in the book included with the tool. You should wear a face mask when removing paint. If you think that your paint contains lead, please take extra precautions before removing paint.
Got more questions on how to remove paint? Leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them for you!
*Thanks to Homeright for partnering with me on this post*
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*Fine print: HomeRight.com provided me with the Heat Pro Deluxe II to review. All experiences and opinions are my own.*
OOOH! I have a heat gun and love working with it. I never tought of removing paint with it! I will definately have to try this the next time I want to stip something. I may have to look for a piece of furniture with gobs of paint on it just to try this method out!
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I already have a heat gun...this makes SO much sense...why didn't I think of that?! lol Thanks for sharing, Gina!
ReplyDeleteThat turned out great Gina!!
ReplyDeleteGreat tip! I've always hated using all the chemicals. Do you know if there is anything in terms of chemicals released and such by heating the paint up? I guess it probably doesn't matter since it is chemicals one way or the other...this at least doesn't add more chemicals to the earth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. I'm pinning it,
KC
that seems easy to do!
ReplyDeleteThe cabinet turned out so pretty. I have used the heat gun, but a slow method, but gets the work done without harsh chemicals. \Thanks for sharing this tip.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures
I like the two tone look of the cabinet. It makes me happy to know that there is another way to remove paint without all the chemicals.
ReplyDelete