Paint Removal Festool Questions

[Hank Eggers]

I've got a 50's style house and need to do some serious paint stripping.

I've got double-hung windows with peeling paint I need to strip/sand so they can be repainted.

I've got bathroom and kitchen cabinets with multi layers of paint that I want to redo.

I've got a front door I want to strip and repaint.

In taking a look the Festool line it appears that the Rotex 150 FEQ 6" might be up to the task especially with the vacuum setup for the indoor stuff.

I'm done with scrapers and chemical removers. Looking for the easiest, fastest, cleanest way to take the paint off. Is this Rotex up to the job? Or should I be looking at some other method?

[Bob Childress]

If you want to remove paint by sanding, the RO150 will absolutely handle it. But you may find that for windows, corners, etc. you will want a detail sander like the DX-93 as well.

One of our members sanded his entire summer house exterior with the RO150 and the vac hooked up, with no dramas.

I have re-finished an entertainment center using the RO150 and it takes the paint off very quickly, so use a light touch until you get used to it. :) The dust collection is fantastic.

[Hank Eggers]

Bob,

Thanks for the quick reply and the DX-93 suggestion. It did enter my mind that the corners may be an issue with the RO 150 but wasn't sure how to deal with them yet.

Another concern I have with sanding is the paper loading up with paint. Am I correct to assume that it really isn't a really big deal with this sanding setup?

Thanks again!

[Bob Childress]

The selection of abrasives for good performance in your application is important. Festool make Cristal and Brilliant paper especially for sanding paint, as it is less likely to clog. The vac helps as well. Festool make some of the finest abrasives around. For straight paint removal, Cristal paper would be the go.

A lot of information at the McFeely site:

wwwdotmcfeelysdotcom

and then click on Festool and Sanding and More About Abrasives. (Not allowed to post a direct link.)
:)

[Steve Schoene]

Take care. On a 50s house the paint on the windows is almost certainly lead based since lead in paint wasn't forbidden until the 70s. That means you need to take special precautions not to breath the stuff and about disposal of the sanding swarf. Not a place for the kids to help out either. In a few jurisdictions I don't think the homeowner is allowed to strip lead paint himself.

[Glenn Corser]

We live in the house from hell in terms of painting. It has taken me 13 years but I finally have it almost under control. I have used this thing http://www.silentpaintremover.com/spr/index.htm with great success. It is a little expensive and a little slow but it really works.

[Neal Clayton]

i've got a couple of those infrared paint removers too, and am doing basically the same thing in my house. i admit they're great for flat surfaces, but can't really get into corners, and in that respect a 50 dollar heat gun will accomplish the same thing.

sanding will work but will be doubly messy since you'll be slinging lead everywhere. heating it off will be cleaner, but more time consuming.

honestly, if you have a paint stripping service in your area, it's worth it to pay them to do it. they can accomplish in a week what will take you a month. when you figure the time saved, it's cheap that way.

i'm not sure where you're located but the paint stripping outfits in new orleans charge something in the neighborhood of 50 dollars per door and 1.50 per board foot for trim. i've even started driving mine back and forth from little rock to new orleans to have it done, even with the price of diesel the time saved makes it worth it to take it all apart and have it done by them then put it all back together.

[Hank Eggers]

Whoa... The infrared paint removal looks WAY too cool! Never heard of that method. I'm going to check this out!

Will the infrared work on painted drywall? We have gloss and semi-gloss layers in he kitchen and bath that I need to remove in addition to what I listed above.

I'm hoping to do this myself to save a few bucks and learn something I can use in other areas of the house.

[Steve Schoene]

Whoa again. Heat guns create fumes from lead paint that can be hazardous. You can get an inexpensive test kit at any of the big box stores. Odds are quite high that you have lead paint.

While perhaps a little extreme, here is a reference from the consumer product safety commision about DIY lead paint removal.

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/5055.html

I don't see why you can't adopt the procedures mentioned without calling in professionals, which would be very expensive, but it still is a serious matter, especially if there are children around or women who might become pregnant.

[Hank Eggers]

Whoa again. Heat guns create fumes from lead paint that can be hazardous. You can get an inexpensive test kit at any of the big box stores. Odds are quite high that you have lead paint.

While perhaps a little extreme, here is a reference from the consumer product safety commision about DIY lead paint removal.

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/5055.html

I don't see why you can't adopt the procedures mentioned without calling in professionals, which would be very expensive, but it still is a serious matter, especially if there are children around or women who might become pregnant.

You guys are great. My next question was about the lead testing kit. I thought they would have them in the HD/Lowes but haven't checked yet. IF I do this myself I certainly will take all the proper precautions and let the place air out for a few days before going back inside. The cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and bath would be done outside. But the frames would have to be done inside.

The drywall is another matter. I'm thinking it just may be better to take it all out (two sheets are already on the ceiling), insulate, new wiring and the whole shebang.

[Neal Clayton]

you won't easily remove paint from drywall without tearing it up. why can't you just repaint over it?

if it's plaster, sure, paint can be removed from plaster since it's a bit tougher, but if the drywall is that bad, just replace it. if you're gonna contract out the drywall job you might also consider having someone put up blueboard and a coat of plaster instead of drywall. it's not much more expensive and will give you the benefits of plaster and can actually be done quicker than drywall can with modern gypsum based plasters.

article about it (http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Blueboard_and_Veneer_Plaster-Plaster_Walls-A1484.html)

lead melts at 621 degrees (farenheit), but vaporizes at 1100 degrees, is it possible to get to the vaporization point with paint heaters? sure, but if you operate by the tool's instructions such times should be rare, imo. yeah if you leave the paint heater sitting unattended 2 inches from a board you'll vaporize the lead in that old paint and probably start a fire as an added bonus, but you shouldn't get to those temperatures often in normal usage, therefore i wouldn't be overly concerned with lead fumes as much as lead dust. as long as you wear a proper respirator the fumes shouldn't be a hazard.

and drink milk ;). lead bonds to calcium so the milk will remove it from your system a bit.