Valuable tips on how to remove old paint from walls

foto6989-1 High-quality wall decoration is impossible without thorough preparatory work, one of the points of which is the removal of old decorative materials.

And if there are no special problems with wallpaper or panels, then quickly removing the old paint can be a labor-intensive undertaking.

How to remove old paint from walls? Having carefully studied all possible ways to remove old paint from the wall, you can solve the problem of quick and high-quality surface preparation for subsequent finishing.

Content

How to remove quickly?
How do you choose the right method?
Removal features depending on the type of paintwork
What mistakes are made most often and why is it better not to make them?
Advice
Useful video
Conclusion

How to remove quickly?

There are several ways how you can remove paint from the wall, each of which is distinguished by the complexity of execution, the necessary tools, the presence of certain knowledge and skills.

Mechanical methods

foto6989-2 Mechanical cleaning involves the use of the following tools:

painting knife;
putty knife;
chisels;
scraper;
ax.

Algorithm of actions:

Prepare the tool. It is necessary to check that the blade is well sharpened and firmly fixed on the handle.
Place the tool at an acute angle to the wall, and make many cuts with short strokes (the more, the better).
Moisten the wall abundantly with water from a spray bottle.
Scrape off or knock off the swollen paint layer.

Work with hand tools is carried out only with goggles, gloves and heavy clothing. Otherwise, there is a high risk of injury from flying pieces of old decorative coating.

Heat treatment

The easiest, fastest and most effective way to clean a wall is to heat the decorative coating with a hairdryer. Everything is very simple: the paint on the wall is fired with a jet of hot air from a building hair dryer, and then very quickly cleaned off with a spatula or scraper.

To make the cleaning process faster, it is carried out simultaneously by two people (one burns, the second immediately removes the paint).

Limitations of using the thermal method:

it is problematic to use a burner in apartment buildings;
burning the wall without the use of personal protective equipment is unacceptable (in the process of burning, the paint releases elements hazardous to health);
categorically not suitable for removing decorative coatings from metal, plastic surfaces;
it is forbidden to use the thermal method in rooms without ventilation.

In the case when it is not possible to use a construction hair dryer in work, it will be easily replaced:

blowtorch (it is important to follow fire safety rules);
iron and foil (the painted surface is covered with foil, and then heated with an iron);
household hair dryer (second to the construction hair dryer only by the duration of operation).

Electromechanical

It is possible to remove paint from a concrete wall as quickly as possible electromechanically. Simply put, a variety of power tools are used in wall cleaning work:

Grinder with a wide grinding wheel (it is recommended to use a wheel with an abrasiveness of at least 40). You can also use a grinder with a special attachment in the form of a steel wire brush.
Drill with "paint remover" attachment... The attachment is a structure of three chains, each of which has thirteen links. During operation, the chains break the decorative coating (fly off in pieces) with a minimum amount of dust.
Crown drill... The process of cleaning the wall with such a power tool is quick, with minimal risks of injury and dust formation. The only thing that needs to be considered is the high cost of the nozzle and the need for its frequent replacement.

Work with power tools is very rarely used for wooden surfaces (active rough cleaning destroys the structure of the tree).

The use of chemicals

The chemical method of removing paint from the wall involves the use of special liquid or gel washes, solvents:

White Spirit,
acetone.

Work with chemicals is carried out only in a very well-ventilated area and using personal protective equipment (gloves, respirator, goggles).

Basic rules for the application of chemical solvents on the painted wall:

liquid formulations are applied using a spray gun, gel solvents are applied with rollers or brushes;
before cleaning the wall, you must wait a certain period of time (indicated by the manufacturer on the label);
the softened paint is removed with a spatula or iron brush;
the wall cleaned with chemical reagents is additionally treated with an acidified solution (water with the addition of citric acid or vinegar).

If in the process of using chemicals there are signs of malaise (dizziness, nausea), work must be stopped immediately and left.

How do you choose the right method?

Several criteria are considered for choosing methods for removing paint from the wall: the type of decorative coating, the required amount of time and money spent and the most important - the type of surface to be treated.

We clean from concrete or stone surfaces

Weakly adhering decorative wall covering easy to clean using a mechanical method (in other words, using a scraper or spatula).

If a decorative layer on a concrete wall holds firmly, chemical method followed by electromechanical cleaning will help to remove it.

How to remove from wood flooring?

foto6989-5 A spatula will help to remove fragile layers of paint from a wooden wall. Work must be done carefully so as not to damage the structure of the tree.

In the case when the tree is covered with a durable, ideally smooth layer, only a chemical method will help to clean it... When using a burner or hair dryer, it is important to monitor the flow of hot air so as not to burn the wood.

It is better not to use the electromechanical method for cleaning wood.This is because the structure of the wood is soft and uneven and the use of the brute mechanical force of the tool is fraught with the appearance of scratches, cracks, chips that will have to be putty. An exception may be the use of fine-grained sandpaper.

From metal surfaces

Simple, fast, high quality a grinder will help to clean the metal surface (electromechanical method) or solvent (chemical method). The use of chemicals is preferred to remove old, stubborn paint.

Hot air cleaning (thermal method) for metal surfaces requires certain skills. Mistakes made when removing old paint can cause layers that swell when heated to stick to the metal surface.

Removal features depending on the type of paintwork

The different composition of paints applied to the wall requires a special approach to the removal process.

Water-based formulations

foto6989-6 Remove water-based paint from a concrete wall is easiest. It is enough to moisten the surface abundantly, wait until the decorative layer softens and remove it with a spatula.

A layer of varnish can add complexity to the process. It must be pretreated with chemical solutions, and then cleaned with a spatula.

It is not recommended to use a mechanical method of cleaning the wall from water-based paint, as it is very easy to damage the plaster through a thin decorative layer.

Oil

Most often, masters face exactly the problem removing old oil paint from the wall. Depending on the number of layers applied, the time elapsed from the date of repair, choose:

mechanical,
chemical,
thermal method.

Acrylic

The choice of cleaning method is determined by the age of the applied decorative layer. If it is necessary to clean a freshly painted (on the first day after application) wall, then it is enough to moisten the paint with water and wipe it with a sponge.

If more than seven days have passed after painting the wall, the paint is cleaned off with a solvent or using a mechanical method. For a wall painted for more than a year, we can use the method of chemical and electromechanical cleaning.

Acrylic paint is very easy to scrape off wood surfaces with a sharp knife or spatula. Glass or plastic wall partitions painted with acrylics can be easily cleaned with hot soapy water.

What mistakes are made most often and why is it better not to make them?

The process of removing old paint from a wall is laborious, requiring certain knowledge and skills.

Lack of necessary experience can lead to the following errors:

Incorrect tool selection and paint removal method. Most often, a manual mechanical method is used to remove old paint from a wall.
This is not quite the right decision. Cleaning off the decorative layer with sharp spatulas or knives can take a lot of time and still not achieve the desired result.
Ignoring the rules for using personal protective equipment. When working with chemical solutions, power tools, it is important to remember that personal safety comes first. The lack of a respirator, goggles, gloves is fraught with injuries to the respiratory system, eyes, hands.
Cleaning walls with open flames. This interpretation of the thermal method for cleaning walls is fire hazardous.

Advice

Practical recommendations of professional masters will help remove paint from the wall quickly, with a minimum investment of time and money:

You can save the repair budget if you use a rented power tool (there are a sufficient number of companies that provide such a service).
When heating the paint on the wall, it is necessary to create a draft in the room (open windows and doors). Otherwise, poisonous vapors, getting into the air, can cause poisoning of the body.
The melted paint must be cleaned off immediately with a spatula.Otherwise, it will bake on the surface of the wall, and it will be very difficult to remove it.
When removing old paint from a concrete wall using a chemical method, it is best to use acid-free compounds.

Useful video

How to remove old paint from walls - video tips:

Conclusion

Having studied the theory in detail and using in practice all possible options for removing paint from the wall, you can quickly and efficiently carry out preparatory measures before the next decorative finish.