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    • #14333
      Gail M
      Guest

      We have recently purchased a 1872 brick Italiante home with pine woodwork that has several layers of paint. We would like to strip the woodwork in the whole house but are looking for an efficent way of doing this. We have tried cob blasting and the wood is to soft for that. We would like a non chemical, mechanical way of doing it if that is possible. Any Suggestions?
      Thanks

    • #82947
      Henry in MI
      Guest

      Hi, Gail. There is no mechanical stripping method that is not going to remove paint without removing wood except a heat gun. Personally, I think that they are much more difficult to use than an environmentally friendly chemical stripper, but knock yourself out, if you wish. Keep in mind that a heat gun on lead based paint that gets too hot will release lead vapor that is highly dangerous.

      I agree with you that methyl chloride based strippers are extremely dangerous, but you might want to take a look at products like Citristrip. While it is non-toxic, it can give you a chemical burn if you completely disregard the safety warnings. I think that you are making a mistake in writing off chemical strippers as they do a much better job than mechanical methods but I am the first to agree that you want to choose your chemical stripper carefully. Check http://www.citristrip.com and, in particular, Catherine in St. Pete’s many questions. You might find lots of good other info. For example, she questioned how safe shellac was for a finish. The FDA approves it for making pills and candy, so there are “chemicals” that are safe to use.

      Henry in MI

    • #164591
      susan cox
      Guest

      I just bought a 104 yr old smaller victorian type house. This is a first for me & I am having alot of trouble getting the paint out of the corners & raised areas on the side of the staircase & on the posts. Is there a trick to this that I don’t know, being a beginner? Thanks alot for any help you can give me

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