Removing paint work to restore the finishes in a residential property
In older properties many of the heritage or vintage features and finishes of the house may be buried deep underneath many layers of old paint work. The first step in this case is to delicately remove the paintwork. Here are some tips to help you in this task.
How to Remove the Paint
The first step is to gather some appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as some of the paint you are removing may contain lead, which can be easily inhaled and has a raft of ill health effects associated with it. You will need gloves, goggles and a dust mask or respirator to protect yourself. You can usually buy this from equipment from a paint store or a hardware store.
The next step is to gather the equipment that you will need to take the paint off. This is likely to include paint removal chemicals, sanding equipment (including a belt sander and manual sanding blocks) and paint scrapers. These items can be bought or hired from hardware stores.
The third step is to try and chip away some paint from a less noticeable or peeling section of the paintwork. This can let you assess how deep the paint layers are and give you an idea of how much work you will have removing the paint work.
The fourth step is to start removing the paint. Many people prefer to sand the paint on larger section, but you can also use paint removal chemicals. These chemicals can be extremely useful for removing paint from delicate sections of the home such as metallic lace work on a porch or delicate wood carvings. The chemicals can be relatively aggressive so you need to keep a close eye on the removals process and scrape the paint off once it starts bubbling so that you can preserve the base layer of the home. After you have done this you may need to go back and manually sand certain areas where the paint has become more adhesive and has not come off as easily.
After you have removed the paint, you may discover that you need to do some patching or further repairs as heavy paint can often disguise other restoration issues.
If you are not feeling very confident about doing the necessary paint removal to start your home restoration job, it can be a great idea to outsource the job to professionals. They have the experience and professional equipment to complete the job quickly and allow you to keep going with your residential building restoration.