Eco-friendly Ways to Remove Paint

Is it time to renovate your home? One of the projects you will probably work on is removing the old paint, which can sometimes be very intimidating.

Fortunately, there are several ways to remove old paint, but some of them aren’t eco-friendly. In fact, some are hazardous; this is why knowing where to start helps. So, to help you remove paint without harming the environment, the following are ways to look at:

1. Remove and Cover Non-Wooden and All Hardware Parts

Before you apply any paint remover, ensure you remove all protruding and hardware items from the wood, including brackets, doorknobs, bolts, screws, and nails. Taking your time to do that will make it much easier to do the remaining steps as well as allow for a clean finish.

In addition, it ensures that your paint stripper doesn’t tarnish all hardware parts. So, ensure you have the right protective taps to cover non-removable parts or materials that you don’t want your paint remover to get attached to.

2. Apply the Right Paint Stripper/Solvent

At times, painter scrappers don’t suffice when you want to remove oil-based, acrylic, or enamel paints. In such cases, it would be best to use and Eco-Strip IR paint stripper to polish up the paint job.

You might also want to try simple solvents, like vegetable oil, which won’t damage your surface. Ensure you coat your surface with dried paint using vegetable oil or use plastic wrap on it.

3. Invest in a Heat Gun

A heat gun is an ideal tool for removing paint from various surfaces without using chemicals. It works like a hair dryer. Usually, a jet or stream of heated air gets projected from the heat gun’s front opening, which heats your varnish or paint to be removed from the surface you want to strip. But it is important to note that a heat gun is high-powered – meaning if used incorrectly, it can easily damage your surface or material.

You should also hold your heat gun at an angle of about 45 degrees, and you shouldn’t keep it in one position for a few minutes. The last thing you want is to burn your paint. Once the pain starts to bubble when heat is applied, move your gun and remove the paint using a scrapper, moving across until you completely strip the paint.

4. Use Natural Paint Removers

Some people think that removing paint on the surface requires the use of chemical strippers and many hours of stripping. However, there are many natural paint removers that can help you remove paint without harming the environment.

Using natural paint removers isn’t a new idea, but you might still want to consider whether the product contains toxins. Some natural paint removers contain organic solvents that can damage your respiratory tract, internal organs, nervous system, skin, and eyes. So, if you need eco-friendly paint removers, you might want to opt for products like soy gel paint removers.

Getting rid of paint from the surface is almost the same for all materials. But whichever way you prefer to strip paint from the surface, ensure it is eco-friendly and toxins-free to ensure your safety.