How To Remove Paint From a Wall
How to remove paint from walls: how to quickly clean old coating in an apartment
The process of removing paint can be a challenging task, but there are various effective methods available to tackle it. The selection of tools and appropriate paint cleaners should be based on the paint materials’ specific qualities.
To illustrate, a basic cloth and warm water can suffice for cleaning old water-based paints. Conversely, alkyd paint may require a wire brush dipped in a specialized chemical solution. The world of classic plastering and painting holds many tips and techniques worth exploring for anyone interested.
How to remove old paint from walls
Modern artisans in traditional renovation use many tools that allow them to be confident in the tasks associated with cleaning wall surfaces from the previous paint coating. The set of things needed to successfully complete such an operation includes:
rollers, brushes, rags and sponges;
hammers, spatulas, axes;
electric drills and hair dryers;
spray bottles and large volumes of water;
chemical solvents.
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A person who wants to start peeling off the previous layer of paintwork will need personal protection. These include respirators, goggles and gloves. They will help protect against mechanical injuries and prevent harmful solvents from getting on the skin or inside the body.
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When to start removing old paint
It’s no secret that literally a quarter of a century ago, almost all professional builders decorated apartments using ordinary paints and paper wallpaper. Unfortunately, in the modern world, the design inventions of the past seem ridiculous, and property owners are trying to get rid of them by all available means.
The process of cleansing past paintwork materials should be started at your request when the previous layers have peeled off and started to bubble. Particular attention should be paid to these operations if wet plaster compositions and different types of wallpaper glue are subsequently applied to the wall planes.
Cleaning walls of paint and removing old paintwork: choosing the optimal work method
There are many dismantling methods, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. To understand what instructions to follow in the future, you should understand certain nuances:
type of dye applied (oil, acrylic or water-based);
material of the decorated surface (concrete, brick, wood);
further labour front (new painting, laying ceramic tiles);
the existing budget and the amount of available “free” spending;
possibility of ventilation of the room and the apartment as a whole.
The question of how to strip and clean old paint from walls can be answered only after information on all the mentioned characteristics and parameters has been received. On the shelves of specialized stores, various solvents, tools and building materials are sold to make the event more accessible.
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Mechanical cleaning methods
The first and easiest way to remove paintwork is simple physical impact. The most comprehensive range of tools allows you to implement it. It is necessary to understand that this option for organizing the process is characterized by its undoubted labour intensity.
A variety of things are used, including the simplest things, such as a spatula, an axe or even a household iron. Before starting the operation, the master should clear the room being refurbished from furniture (or cover the sofas, cabinets and cabinets with thick film).
Grinder with a hammer drill
The basic answer to how to quickly remove old paint from a wall in an apartment is just such a power tool. It should be used in conjunction with profile abrasive discs. When working with a kind of sander, the user must always remember his safety. You will have to purchase a unique, more or less tight suit, as well as a mask and goggles.
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Using an axe and water
It will only be possible to partially remove the paint and varnish material with an axe since such an obviously thankless job will take considerable effort, nerves and time. The craftsman should only apply numerous small notches, onto which the putty or wallpaper glue will “catch.” Such slits should be at a distance of 10 mm from each other — think about how many blows you will have to make to achieve a similar result. In addition, each poke little by little destroys the integrity of the entire base, which, as a rule, does not lead to good consequences.
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How to remove paint from walls: removing old coating with a spatula and chisel
The second, most common option for a bunch of tools to get rid of old paints and varnishes. The obvious advantage of this technique is the almost complete absence of dust and the ability to initially process hard-to-reach places (sockets for sockets and switches). A carpenter’s knife is used when an ordinary spatula cannot cope with the thickness of the paintwork. It is essential to periodically sharpen the blades, as they regularly come into contact with wall planes, gradually becoming completely unusable.
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Using a drill with various attachments
As mentioned, a well-chosen power tool can significantly simplify the operation. Modern rotary hammers are readily equipped with unique bumpers or grinding discs, allowing you to remove almost any paint and varnish materials easily. True, when interacting with high-speed devices, the master must never forget about his own safety. Even a small piece of hardened acrylic that gets directly into the eye will cause huge problems. A specialist should purchase a protective suit, safety glasses and high-quality construction gloves in advance.
Household iron
The previous layer of paintwork can be removed, including through heat treatment. The primary tool is an ordinary household clothes iron. You need to “iron” the surface not directly, but using a special pad in the form of a sheet of food foil folded several times. In this way, it will only be possible to tear off the paint and varnish material, which is not held most reliably anyway. The softened water-based or oily substance is subsequently removed with an ordinary spatula.
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Construction hair dryer
Another heat treatment option, however, is characterized by a greater degree of qualification and professionalism. Of course, only some people have such a power tool at home, but today, you can easily rent one (in any more or less sizeable specialized store). As in an iron case, the wall planes are first heated to the appropriate state, and the melted paint component is removed, for example, with a chisel.
Blowtorch
The question of how to quickly clean, tear off and remove paint from the walls in the kitchen is answered by including ordinary gasoline heaters. The torches are also excellent for heat-treating reinforced concrete structures, saving painters a lot of unnecessary work. One litre of functional fuel is enough for 20–25 minutes of continuous operation. In such a time, you can cover a reasonably large area. People who want to choose heat treatment must understand that their activities produce a sharp and pungent chemical odour that envelops the entire apartment. Therefore, they should take care of ventilation and the possibility of high-quality ventilation in advance.
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How to easily remove paint and how to remove it from walls: solvents and removers
Today, on the shelves of specialized stores, a vast number of specialized chemical compounds make it possible to simplify the work processes associated with cleaning paint and varnish coatings considerably. True, such substances can only be used according to the steps of the prescribed instructions:
- We remove all dust and dirt deposits from the wall surfaces.
- Apply the preparation to a previously prepared and dried surface.
- Leave the reagent for a specific time.
- Let’s start working with a spatula.
You can purchase such professional solvents, for example, on the official website of the Kraski.ru trading network. Our online store assortment includes many special removers, each of which has a list of unique operational advantages.
Ready-made paint remover
Some of the best substances that allow you to effectively cope with the dismantling of old paint and varnish coatings include:
Owatrol Marine D1 is a water-based gel that is excellent for acrylic, water-based and oil-based components;
Solvent 646 is another high-quality cleaning liquid characterized, first of all, by its pleasant and affordable price;
“Antikras” is a good product that corrodes almost any paintwork material within 25–30 minutes of application.
As mentioned, such compositions are sold in any specialized construction or hardware store.
How to make your own wash
The question of how and with what to quickly clean the walls of old paint and remove the previous paint coating is also answered by substances made with your own hands. To prepare the presented reagent, you will need the following:
- Buy ammonia.
- Buy turpentine.
- Mix the indicated elements in a 2:1 ratio.
The result of simple operations is a suitable solvent, which, although inferior to its store-bought counterpart, does the job well. Its main advantage is an impressive share of efficiency at the lowest price. Moreover, these components are also sold in any specialized store.
Choosing a cleaning method depending on the type of paint
Choosing a specific removal method depends on what kind of paint coating was used by the artisans when decorating the room. Each type of coating material has its own advantages and disadvantages and is also characterized by unique parameters of strength, reliability, hiding power and layer thickness during application. Some dyes can be easily removed with an ordinary spatula. In contrast, others can only be removed with hard work using a grinder and a specialized solvent.
Water-based
Dyes of this format are endowed with one extremely critical property — they are not waterproof. Of course, there are exceptions, but this class of paints and varnishes can usually be removed exclusively using a roller dipped in warm liquid. To simplify all activities, you can use an aqueous solution. It is applied to the surface to be treated, left for 10–15 minutes, and then cleaned off with an ordinary spatula or chisel. True, the area has to be processed in parts because this is the only way to keep track of the degree of humidity.
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Acrylic
This paintwork material is characterized by much greater strength and mechanical stability. Experts in plastering and painting prefer removing acrylic using metal brushes, grinders, chippers and drills with special attachments. As mentioned earlier, you must take care of your safety to implement such work. The master should buy a protective suit, glasses, and a high-quality, thick respiratory mask.
Before you begin the operation to remove the old paint and varnish component, you must select the composition with which the room will be decorated. The central assistance in this matter is the official website of the Trading Network Kraski.ru. The assortment of our online store includes hundreds of different items, each of which hides one or another, undoubtedly reliable and beautiful colouring matter. In addition, the portal sells all kinds of additional materials: aerosols, primers, wood preservatives, varnishes, oils, grouts and sealants. You can purchase all listed items in one place and then arrange for fast delivery straight to your door.
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How to remove old paint from walls: what not to do
Experts in the field of plastering and painting, who are involved in removing paint and varnish coatings on an ongoing basis, do not recommend:
Use special solvents, gels and washes in unventilated areas, as well as in apartments and houses without a sound ventilation system;
Use thermal methods for treating wall surfaces using devices operating in an open-fire format;
“forget” about the need to protect yourself because suits, glasses and respirators protect the body from fragments, toxic odours and small particles of smouldering layers of paintwork materials.
In fact, you can actually cope with such an operation on your own without using the support of qualified artisans working for money. True, you should prepare to implement all procedures as correctly as possible. The wrong approach to work is a direct road to various unpleasant consequences. Even an ordinary solvent component is a source of numerous reagents that cause damage to the human body.
Conclusion
Various tools, materials and chemicals allow you to answer the question of how to quickly remove old paint from the walls in the kitchen for plastering and further decorating the walls. Water-based, oil-based and acrylic paint and varnish compositions are removed using various techniques, varying depending on the master’s qualifications. As mentioned earlier, modern specialized construction or hardware store shelves sell many things that greatly simplify future work.
