Best paint strippers according to redditors
We found 48 Reddit comments discussing the best paint strippers. We ranked the 14 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 48 Reddit comments discussing the best paint strippers. We ranked the 14 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I can help you with this. The secret is soybeans. Actually, a mastic remover made of soybeans:
https://www.amazon.com/Mastic-Remover-Gallon-Franmar-Chemical/dp/B0006NL1JA
Kind of expensive, but it saves so much time that it actually becomes a bargain. Melts that stuff like butter, and cleanup is easy. I used a wet vac to suck up most of it, and then wet it over twice more with hot water and then the vac. Once done, you really could not tell it was ever there.
Hey! I actually just did this exact job in my house on the fireplace. Probably about 6-7 layers of paint for me. I did a ton of research and settled on smart strip (amazon link below) - there is also a pretty good YouTube video of someone doing outside brick. I put the paste on very thick and used the waxy paper to cover for 2 full days. When I came back to it with a heavy duty razor scraper, it came off pretty easily. I’d say I still spent 5min per brick on the later part of the process but absolutely love how the project came out.
album of pictures
Smart Strip by Peel Away - 1 Gallon Paint Remover https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F0KO2S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5uC-Bb522HRW2
I got one similar but from Lowe’s so I could make sure was heavy duty. ORIENTOOLS Heavy Duty 4-inch Razor Blade Scraper with Long-Handle, Cleaning Glass Wall Scraper, Painting Stripping Tools,Tile Adhesive Removal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075Z4B54H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3BC-Bb10Q4KND
TSP or trisodium phosphate Is the magic solution
http://www.amazon.com/Savogran-10621-Trisodium-Phosphate-16oz/dp/B0001GOGQW
This thing: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Paint-Rust-Stripper-Brush/dp/B000BQT4UK/
Add a little bit of TSP to the detergent cup every time you wash. TSP is pretty much pure phosphates. Only do this is your municipality allows phosphates in the water supply, though.
TSP on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Savogran-10621-Trisodium-Phosphate-16oz/dp/B0001GOGQW
Trisodium Phosphate
It's in the paint section at Lowes/Home Depot. You might find it elsewhere. I've never used it personally, but I know it has a shit-ton of uses.
wiki entry
The 3M paint and rust remover wheel works really really good for that. https://www.amazon.com/3M-9099DCNA-Large-Paint-Stripper/dp/B00004Z4DV
This stuff will change your life
That is what I used to remove the orange from my AS VAL
You can still buy TSP and add it yourself if you hate the environment but love clean dishes: https://www.amazon.com/Savogran-10621-Trisodium-Phosphate-16oz/dp/B0001GOGQW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
You can find it at home improvement stores as well, but make sure you don't buy the useless TSP-PF (phosphate free) in the green box. I bought mine for homebrew cleaning but I don't remember why, maybe for disgusting bottles.
Supposedly phosphates may not be responsible for the algae bloom issue.
AKA KEROSENE
I think this would suffice
lol, thanks for the gold! And here's almond for you. It's through Amazon, but if you have Prime it's free shipping.
In order of effectiveness:
Someone liked spraying hateful messages on my brick garage and I used that.
Invest in a good sander and a paint eater
I carry smartstrip in my store works great and not as caustic to work with.
https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Strip-Peel-Away-Remover/dp/B001F0KO2S
Get a box of TSP. Mix according to directions, if you have sensitive skin, feel free to wear gloves, I never bother and it has had no impact on my skin. Wash the walls down good with that before painting, it'll remove grime, and the shine from previous coats. Don't forget to let it dry completely before painting. Unless you are somewhere very humid a half hour is sufficient.
This will allow your new paint to adhere to the wall much better.
This really depends on two major factors: 1) is the mastic primarily ON the concrete or soaked INTO the concrete, and 2) what you will put over the concrete floor as subfloor or final finish.
Solvents work best, but are toxic, smell bad and you should really be wearing a half face respirator with proper cartridge when using the stuff. Effective yet a pain to work with.
Here is an example:
http://www.zoro.com/value-brand-low-odor-asbestos-mastic-remover-5-gal-3uac3/i/G4330952/?utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA
and another
http://www.cronincompany.com/MSDS/Parabond/Parabond%20Detach.pdf
Lots of folks want to ‘go green’ and use either a soy or citrus based alternative.
These work, just not as well. The main drawback here is you may need multiple applications, and still need to scrape the most stubborn patches.
Soy based includes the one mentioned below – it has various brands including Franmar (mentioned below), Seal Green and others
http://sealgreen.com/Mastic-and-Adhesive-remover-for-concrete.aspx
This product also used to be called Bean-e-doo (soy bean). It works, but – in addition to the drawbacks listed above – it does leave a residue which may make future glue-on finishes very difficult. These complaints, and others, are listed here:
http://www.amazon.com/Bean-e-doo-Mastic-Remover-1-Gallon/product-reviews/B0006NL1JA/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt_rgt?filterByStar=critical&pageNumber=1
The citrus and soy based products work (though you often need to buy twice as much as the mfrs recommend to get the job done). Also, they work best for mastic that is primarily ON the concrete, not for the stuff that has deeply penetrated; you need a harder solvent for that issue.
The other person mentioned leaving it in place and laying new product over (e.g. pad and carpet). I am guessing there is a reason you don’t want to do leave the mastic, so I provide another option: seal it.
Concrete mastic (‘thin set') or especially a polymer-enhanced concrete leveler (parabond, red devil) are possible good options. You don’t want to use these if you apply a water sealant to the concrete (some folks seal basement concrete for water intrusion issues), but otherwise they have many great applications.
don't be shy to call the manufacturers (DAP, para-chem) for the best application/product for your situation; they can be very helpful...
It is up to you. I personally would use mastic remover: https://www.amazon.com/Mastic-Remover-Gallon-Franmar-Chemical/dp/B0006NL1JA, remove it with a shop vac after it has dissolved, and then lay the planks over it.
You can take them apart by just drilling out the rivets, and I just use spray paint for the base color. You can use some kind of paint stripper (can grab some from your local hardware store or walmart, but something like this) to remove the paint that is on there if you want, but it's not completely necessary, just make sure you do light coats of spray paint so it sticks nicely.
For the details I use paint pens but you could probably use any paint with fine paint brushes.
Then i finish with a glossy enamel clear coat spray, and just be careful not to spray it on too thick or it can make the paint run or bubble up a bit.
Aside from just "how to do it" some tips:
TPS also works well as a degreaser.
This is most likely a problem with the soap. Since they took phosphates out of our dishwasher and laundry detergents, these products have been more likely to leave a residue. Using even less soap is one way to go, or you could buy some trisodium phosphate online and mix it in with your soap. My parents had been complaining about their dishwasher leaving a residue on all the dishes, so I bought this. I mixed it into their detergent such that it was 6% Na3PO4 by mass. They no longer have any residue problems.
It's worth mentioning that they took phosphates out of our detergent because they contribute to algal blooms when they make their way into our lakes or rivers. Take that as you will.
Its good to blow out your grinder now and then, although you dont need to do it often unless youre cutting masonry. Take the cover off on the back of the shaft of the grinder. Youll see a ring and pinion gear that make it an 'angle' grinder vs a straight grinder. Put your grease there. When the grinder gets warm the grease will become thinner and coat the gears.
As for disks for wood, theres these but ive only used the first link. I know they say theyre for paint, but they work great for sanding wood. They leave a decent finish. I used mine for sanding wheel wells on a skateboard. I found them at walmart for 2.50 a disk. They dont last long.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QLWHZLS/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O3IOEW/
Theres also this awesome but insanely priced turbo plane
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NA2IJ0/
The kutzall disks and lancelot seem like the best deal to me. Harbor freight sells a chain disk like that btw.
I would recommend a dewalt corded grinder, it will last a lifetime.
Edit: my reason for getting dewalt tools is theyre made in usa. They have 7 facilities in america. I have the 11 amp angle grinder, die grinder, 12 amp sawzall, and impact driver and drill and all of them are made in usa. Some products arent made in usa though. Also their grinders have built in dust ejection.
> As for disks for wood, theres these but ive only used the first link. I know they say theyre for paint, but they work great for sanding wood. They leave a decent finish. I used mine for sanding wheel wells on a skateboard. I found them at walmart for 2.50 a disk. They dont last long. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QLWHZLS/
Have you ever used a 'flap disc'? So far I've found a 36g flap disc to be fastest, I've used abrasives similar to what you link but not that coarse (like you say though, they'd wear-out fast - I know they're cheap, but my ultimate projects involve removing lots of wood so I want something that's long-term not disposable)
>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O3IOEW/
I'd seen the chainsaw-type discs but only today did I start seeing these fixed-tooth (circular-saw style) discs, they're certainly priced-right but I think those are more for cutting a branch off a tree, whereas I'm looking to remove large areas (like, remove a softball's worth of wood from a specific spot), so the toothing on a chainsaw disc seemed my best bet and was what I'd planned until I saw these discs with rasps, I get the impression that, with the coarse option, that these beasts would remove material about as fast as a chainsaw-edged disc would but they have '3D' control, like I can really work shapes with those whereas a chainsaw-type disc only works on its edge/perimeter..
>Theres also this awesome but insanely priced turbo plane https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NA2IJ0/
Yeah Arbortech is crazy expensive, I've seen a 'turbo shaft' that I think is for use with that planer, or maybe a smaller diameter planer by them, but it puts the disc ~3" away from the grinder - neat gear for sure but wayyyy out of my price range, am quite happy with my cheap stuff so far and, once I find the right disc for my angle-grinder I'm sure I'll be set (as I've got a die-grinder for smaller/detail work, so this is just for 'roughing-out' my cuts, then I'd switch to using rasps on my die-grinder to finish a project :) )
>The kutzall disks and lancelot seem like the best deal to me. Harbor freight sells a chain disk like that btw.
The HF chain disc isn't that much cheaper than a real lancelot and since the lancelot's chain is not fixed (it's sandwiched between two plates, so far less likely to ever kick-back) I'd sooner go with the Lancelot - but the kutzall and saburrtooth rasp-discs seem like they may be a better choice than a chainsaw disc, just wish I knew how much wood they remove / how efficient they are compared to the chainsaw-type!
>I would recommend a dewalt corded grinder, it will last a lifetime.
Already got cheapie HF gear, am approaching it with the mindset that this is just for getting into it, for learning - once I've had some experience I'll know what's best for me and can then comfortably buy brand-name gear (I got my die- and angle-grinder for less than I'd pay for a dewalt grinder... I know there's a huge quality difference, but so far as performance goes I'm nothing but satisfied with both of my grinders and I don't even have the best attachments yet! So as far as I'm concerned, it just makes sense to use these til they fail and then upgrade, will be in a much better spot to do so at that point!
Thanks a ton for the help, really means a lot!!
I would use this product and after the necessary time, remove it with a plastic scraper. You might need a gallon, depending on the size of the wall. That tile is beautifully well preserved.
You can get a home test kit. You make a cut through the layers to expose all layers. It'll tell you.
But don't eat it. I'm not so sure about heating it either. Lead vaporizes at 1100°. How hot is your heat gun?
I'd go with a good stripper.
Smart Strip by Peel Away® One Quart ‘Sample Size’ Paint Remover
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PCVKLK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cVzcBbVBVB6Y9
I removed it for the sake of the photograph. Haven’t bothered with removing the paint just yet. Bought some stripping gel last night at the hardware store and it’s worked well for me in the past.
You need a specialized paint remover like Citristrip or Smart Strip. I used Smart Strip on painted wood in my garage and it worked great. Apply thickly with a paintbrush and scrape off with a metal scraper. You may have to refinish or repoly the floor.
https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Strip-Away-Sample-Remover/dp/B001PCVKLK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492362164&sr=8-1&keywords=smart+strip+paint+remover
Is this stuff good?
https://www.amazon.com/MAX-Strip-Paint-Varnish-Stripper/dp/B07WNKGK69/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?keywords=citristrip&qid=1573233629&sr=8-11
I'd go with this remover, not sure about refinishing or repainting, never done metal before.. Good luck!
Dumond Chemicals, Inc. 3301 Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover, 1 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F0KO2S
Thanks. I used the sander just on the rails and stiles. Because the sidelights were originally painted after they were installed there was no paint on the edges and a few coats everywhere else. This would have left a very visible paint line all the way around if I had just painted without sanding first. So I just sanded to blend in where there was paint and where there was none, as well as the loose paint that came up easily. I didn't need to use a heat gun because I was just going to repaint them, not take them all the way to bare wood.
Around the glass I hand-sanded any loose paint and heavy paint bumps. Since the closet is upstairs I didn't have to make it show quality because very few guests will see it.
The sander is a 5" random orbit Bosch ROS20VS. It's several years old, but works great. Never leaves swirl marks.
I've refinished several 100+ year old doors (with a century of paint on them) to bare wood for staining. It's a very tedious job and I hated using heavy solvents, like you. I did find some success using non-fume products like Peel Away. You brush it on and let it sit and it makes scraping off old paint a lot easier. You just have to follow the directions closely and make sure you get it all off (it's water soluble). However, it may still leave very old oil based layers. You may have to just sand, or scrape, those off.
But, the next product I will try for those projects is Smart Strip (https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Strip-Peel-Away-Remover/dp/B001F0KO2S). It's expensive, but seems to get good reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/Motsenbockers-413-01-Latex-Based-Remover/dp/B000VB4KWM
How expensive is it, by volume?
Looking on Amazon,
A12oz can of cleaner is $12, while you can get an entire GALLON of Kerosene for only $10.
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Paint-Rust-Stripper-Brush/dp/B000BQT4UK/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_469_bs_lp_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DNZWTQ39A3E22NJBSS9Z
This is pretty much it.
You could try using something like a deglosser, but I'd be wary of the finish you would end up with. And there is always the potential of damaging the fabric.
The paint is fully cured, right?
In any hardware store by the paint. Or here: http://www.amazon.com/Savogran-10621-Trisodium-Phosphate-16oz/dp/B0001GOGQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426228415&sr=8-2&keywords=tsp
It's a product as well as ingredient
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001GOGQW
Fun fact: An ingredient in Lucky Charms is trisodium phosphate, which is also used as a heavy duty cleaner.
You have to use a stripping gel (like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Citristrip-QCSG801-Paint-Varnish-Stripping/dp/B07LF8T6PM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Citri-Strip&qid=1564881339&s=gateway&sr=8-1 ) to remove the protective coating. You should still sand them a bit after but stripping them first saves you a lot of effort.
https://www.amazon.com/Klean-Strip-Quart-Liquid-Sander-Deglosser/dp/B0002YU7RU
https://youtu.be/gGLV7fd0-fQ
Takes about 4 hours. For the flat part of the pan I highly recommend using the drill press instead of a handheld drill because it tends to wobble like crazy.
If you do this I highly recommend wearing a painters mask because otherwise your mouth will taste like iron.
You should be able to find a paint stripper disk in a hardware store, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Paint-Rust-Stripper-Brush/dp/B000BQT4UK
Buy 2 because they slowly chip away and getting 1 lodge pan smooth takes up about 1.5 of them. You'll need an adapter to attach to the drill and when the adapter starts touching the pan that's when you want to switch the pads out.
The whole idea is to make the cast iron smooth. The smoother the better and trust me unless you do this (or smooth it out some other way) your lodge pan will never be "nonstick".