Festool Sander for Siding? 150 FEQ?

[Will Rowland]

I'm currently stripping ALL the paint (4-5 layers) off of the original cypress lap siding on my 1910 house.

Thus far we've been using the "Silent Paint Remover" infared paint stripper, which has been a most helpful tool, but a lot of scraping has still been required.

The scraped surface is somewhat rough, with some paint chips refusing to cooperate, and will need sanding prior to paint application. I only have a Milwaukee 5" RO sander.

I'm considering picking up a Festool 150 FEQ sander for the job, pricey as it may be. I'm intrigued by the supposed power of it, plus the dust collection (obviously, most of the paint contains lead). I do have a Fein Turbo II vac.

Expensive as it is, would the 150 FEQ be the best sander for the job? Also, is it a sander that I'd likely use "more than I'd expect" for general tasks in the future, or is to "too big" and would end up in the back of the bottom drawer, like my PC belt sander? Any comments would be appreciated.

[Justin Bukoski]

Will its an excellent sander with superior dust collection. I'm not sure that its any more powerful than any other quality ROS but it certainly has better dust collection than any sander I've used. If you have reason to sand other things in the future then yes, you will use it. Of all my festools the 150 FEQ gets the most use.

[Thomas S Stockton]

I have one and I probably wouldn't use it to remove paint like that. I think it would probably be slower than you wanted and why use such a nice tool for something as crude as that. If you want a festool for that purpose the rotex would probably be a better choice because it is more aggressive . Porter cable makes a rotary sander just for paint removal might want to see how much that cost otherwise this might be a great place for something from Harbor freight and save your money and get the festool for shop use.

[Erik Christensen]

I think for your application you want the RAS 115.04 E Rotary Sander

[Chris Padilla]

The 150FEQ...aka ROTEX...is Festool's most versatile sander. In rotary mode, it is quite powerful but can convert to a ROS for fine sanding with the flip of a switch.

It probably isn't has powerful as the RAS 115.4 but if you want to use for other things, it does have the dual application.

For paint removal, use the grey sanding discs...the rubin is for wood removal (maroon colored).

[Will Rowland]

Thanks for the reponses so far. To be clear, most of the stripping has already been completed with the heater and scrapers...what I need the sander for is to "clean" the wood prior to painting, i.e., basically get rid of any lingering chips, knock down the grain and provide a fresh surface for the paint.

However, there will be no doubt that lead will still be in any dust generated, hence the reason I am looking for the best dust collection possible.

[Jason White]

I've used my Rotex 150 with 24 grit. Perfect tool for the job, but a bit heavy when you're up on scaffolding & ladders. I'd suggest the smaller Rotex 125 with Festool's 24-grit Saphir or Cristal paper.

Jason




I'm currently stripping ALL the paint (4-5 layers) off of the original cypress lap siding on my 1910 house. Thus far we've been using the "Silent Paint Remover" infared paint stripper, which has been a most helpful tool, but a lot of scraping has still been required. The scraped surface is somewhat rough, with some paint chips refusing to cooperate, and will need sanding prior to paint application. I only have a Milwaukee 5" RO sander. I'm considering picking up a Festool 150 FEQ sander for the job, pricey as it may be. I'm intrigued by the supposed power of it, plus the dust collection (obviously, most of the paint contains lead). I do have a Fein Turbo II vac. Expensive as it is, would the 150 FEQ be the best sander for the job? Also, is it a sander that I'd likely use "more than I'd expect" for general tasks in the future, or is to "too big" and would end up in the back of the bottom drawer, like my PC belt sander? Any comments would be appreciated.