I have an antique metal lawn chair from my grandmother that has many coats of paint on it. What methods would you use to safely remove all of the paint? I wish to paint it again. Is there a particular primer and paint you recommend. Thanks for your help.
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Sarah,
There are many strippers out there and some are dangerously strong so be carefull. If it were me, I'd use a good mask and a heat gun to melt the paint.
Rustoleum makes a good primer and paint for your specific needs.
Have fun,
Namaste
Andy
"Attachment is the strongest block to realization"
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Hi Andy (and Sarah!), what abt removing paint from wood? Say, on windowsills? I was thinking a blow torch. Or must the paint be enamel? I'm abt to invest in a torch for such deeds.
Kai
I've used a torch with a paint spreader on the tip but my heat gun works a whole lot better and never scorches the wood. Goes pretty quick without the worry of fire like with a torch. You can get a heat gun pretty inexpensivly. Thats my reccomendation for sure. Heat gun!
Be safe
Namaste
Andy"Attachment is the strongest block to realization"http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Thanks, Andy and Fred. I was hoping to get one tool to both strip paint and torch creme brulee (sp?). Guess I got a bum tip (elsewhere)!
If you are going to use heat make sure you have one or two 5 gal. buckets of water handy and wet towel encase you start a fire. The best thing is garden hose. Make sure the phone is close to the door so you can call the fire department if you can't get the fire out. Make sure you house insurance is paid and it has replacement value of the house.
Try the heat gun first. The only problem I can see is if the metal spreads the heat too much to get the paint to soften, then I would probably use stripper.
If you use the stripper, cover the chair heavily with it, and put it in a large plastic bag if possible till the stripper is done working. It's tempting to scrape too early. Wash off the chair well with hot detergent water, then wipe down with some paint thinner.
Sand well, then I would repaint using oil based rustoleum primer and paint.
Thanks Mark, I've got your instructions taped to the chair. I'll give the stripper method a try come spring, that way I can use the great outdoors for ventilation. -Sarah
One more thing. Disassemble the chair if possible so you can get paint in the areas where metal touches metal. Those areas also trap water and rust out. Remember also that paint stripper contains a wax to keep the stripper from drying out while its doing its thing, so you have to remove all traces of the wax before repainting.
Sarah,
Consider getting it sandblasted. Won't cost as much as you think, and the results will amaze you. All the original detail will return.
You will have to prime it soon after it's done. Check into it, it would be well worth it
John
I will check into sandblasting. Thanks for the advise! I had thought of that at one time but was concerned about it damaging the metal or pitting it. I'm sure the key here is to find an experienced person who knows what they're doing.
You should also ask about bead blasting, if the sand blasting places don't mention it. It uses tiny glass beads instead of sand, and is much gentler on the underlying metal, at the cost of being somewhat slower to remove the paint.
Bead blasting..... I'm learning so much!!
I'll look into that too. I've got my work cut out for me before I even touch the chair!! Thanks Uncle Dunc!
Large metal objects like your chair are difficult to strip. Sandblasting is a great idea. You should also look into a commercial stripper who has a dip tank; they can soak the chair and remove all of the paint for a price. Best part is you don't have to do it, but ask around to find one who people seem to trust.
I stripped an iron bed using lye, Red Devil lye sold as drain cleaner. This stuff is very causitic, so you have to use it outside, with gloves and eye protection and using steel wool to scour the paint. Disadvantage is that it has little holding power on vertical surfaces. Advantage is that it is cheap. I use Red Devil lye regularly to strip paint off of antique metal hardware where I can make a bowl full of solution and immerse the parts for a while. If you do this, use a stainless steel bowl, not aluminum.
I'm not sure I would use a heat gun on your chair. You might give it a try, they are handy to have around anyway. For flat objects covered with latex or oil paint, they are often the quickest way to strip paint. If you try this, you will find that the paint will soften to a putty consistency, this is the time to try to scrape it off, it will cool quickly and then will become brittle and at that point will flake off fairly easily with wire brush or steel wool. Any remaining paint that did not peal back from the surface may be hard to remove, I've had little luck with using the heat gun in a second pass over the surface, it's sort of a one-shot deal. Milwaukee makes a great heat gun. And oh yes, they certainly can burn wood if you pause too long on one spot.
Liquid furniture strippers may be the best way to go. Strippers such as Zip Strip that contain methylene chloride are concentrated and will irritate your skin like a red hot iron, so use gloves and eye protection. Find one of the thicker strippers that claim to have better holding power on vertical surfaces. Many of the better strippers are quite flammable so be careful. You will likely have to keep painting it on as it works and evaporates.
The last time I stripped a couple of doors, I used Citristrip, an orange liquid with a strong orange smell. It worked great, was thick and had a low evaporation rate so I did not need to keep re-coating the surfaces. The vapors are not as irritating either although good ventilation, gloves and eye protection is still important. I liked it well enough that I stocked up on more and would recommend it for your chair if you decide to do it yourself.
Hope your project goes well.
Edited 1/9/2003 10:28:59 AM ET by WFLATHER
(Bold=my emphasis)
For flat objects covered with latex or oil paint, they are often the quickest way to strip paint. If you try this, you will find that the paint will soften to a putty consistency, this is the time to try to scrape it off, it will cool quickly and then will become brittle and at that point will flake off fairly easily with wire brush of steel wool. Any remaining paint that did not peal back from the surface may be hard to remove, I've had little luck with using the heat gun in a second pass over the surface, it's sort of a one-shot deal. Milwaukee makes a great heat gun. And oh yes, they certainly can burn wood if you pause too long on one spot.
Thanks for this info! I'm a bit confused though--should I attempt to remove paint while putty-like, or wait for it to get brittle, or a combo? I'm thinking the latter--whatever you don't scoop off the first round can get wire-brushed, and then you sand? TIA
Kai,
I usually work on getting the whole thing synchronized: hold the heat gun with spreader head in one hand, soften an area several inches long. As soon as it starts to bubble, I hold the putty knive (hopefully as wide as the spreader head) in the other hand and push it through the softened paint, lifting it off the wood. If I get it right, I can then move up the board at a slow, steady rate, heat gun in one hand, knife in the other, pealing the paint cleanly off the surface, leaving little behind. If I don't get the timing right, the paint is not softened clear to the wood and I leave some behind or I am too slow and the paint goes from soft goo to hardened epoxy and the wood gets charred. The paint also has a tendency to goo onto the underside of the knife edge at this stage, making a clean job hard. Having a clean knive edge is important so stopping and scrapping it clean regularly is a must. I usually seem to end up using one of those odd-shaped painter's tools, they have an edge about 2.5" wide that seems to match my spreader head well.
I find that if I get the timing right and the paint is right, getting it off this way is quick and easy. If I miss a section and it sets up again, it is much harder to remove, so I try hard to get it while it is soft. I have no idea why I occasionally run into paint that just won't soften and lift well, but it happens. I don't believe milk paint will strip well with heat. Probably old paints with high lead content are the best match, but if you have very young children in your house, this is probably a great way to put them at risk of lead poisoning. With heat stripping, I always seem to end up with some sanding to do, and any paint residue left will turn to fine dust.
Edited 1/9/2003 10:41:47 AM ET by WFLATHER
Thanks a million! That's pretty much how I pictured it. I was just a bit confused when you said some paint will dry and flake off w/a wire brush or scraper or, heck, whatever you said (which sounds easier than dealing w/goo and periodically wiping it off the scraper). If I get the gun this weekend and try it out, I'll undoubtedly be back w/more questions. Y'all are just the sweetest and smartest!
Wow, thanks for your time and for sharing so much indepth information. You, along with so many others, have been a huge help! I'll check into the sandblasting first. If I can't find someone in this area to do it that I think is qualified, I'll probably strip it myself. I'm a bit gun shy... a heat gun that is. I'll save that method for some other future project! -sarah