How to remove old paint from walls?

Any repair sooner or later falls into disrepair and it becomes necessary to refresh it or completely redo it. If pasting wallpaper does not take too much energy from you in preparing the process itself, then with painting everything is much more complicated. Removing old paint from walls is a tricky process, but knowing some tricks can help you get the job done faster and more efficiently.

The renovation work to remove paint from the wall surface will depend on your end goal. If you just want to repaint the wall, then a new layer of paint can be applied over the previous one. This option is possible if the wall is flat and the previous layer did not crack, bubble or deform in any way.

If there are any changes in the surface, then you need to clean the surface. It is especially important to do this if, instead of painted walls, you want to stick wallpaper and radically change the mood of the room. In this case, it will be simply necessary to remove the old paint from the wall. This work is not easy and will require both knowledge and physical fitness.

It will be easier to remove the old layer if it is thick, painted several times, but if it is applied for the first time, and even on concrete, it will have a long painstaking work. In order for the process to move faster, you need to prepare all the necessary tools that will help you. It can be:

• Protective equipment for humans: gloves, goggles, respirator mask;
• Soldering iron or hair dryer;
• Sharp-edged spatula, chisel, knife or scraper;

• Paint remover, brush;
• An ax or something similar to create serifs;
• Drill, hammer drill, grinder with attachments.

Once you have everything ready, the next thing you should look out for is the type of paint you are dealing with. Depending on this, you will need to choose options for action and choose a specific method in which work will be carried out to remove old paint from the wall.

Depending on what kind of paint you have to work with, you will select the inventory and the option to deal with it. When it comes to water-based paint, then it is important to know its specifics. This coating dries quickly, has no odor and, after drying, leaves a film that is difficult to remove from any surface.

In order to remove such paint, you need to prepare tools, including: gloves, work clothes, respirator, masking tape, spatula, fluffy roller. When starting work, you need to prepare yourself and the room itself. To work comfortably, you need to free space from furniture, and place polyethylene on the floor. In order to remove water-based paint, it is important to moisten the surface with it with plain water. An iodine solution may be an alternative option.

This will allow the paint to soak and can be cleaned off with a spatula. If you succeed in this, then you are on the right track. When moisture or iodine is not absorbed into the walls and it is not possible to work, you need to approach from the other side. For waterproof paints, you will need a spatula and a hammer, these tools will work in the same way. If you find it difficult to work like this, you can use a building hairdryer.

When working with him, it is important to protect the face and respiratory tract with a respirator.Using a hair dryer increases the risk of inhaling harmful paint fumes from walls and small particles. If you work with a spatula, but it does not clean off the paint, but simply slides over it, then you need to take a hammer and tap on the wall itself, and only then use a spatula.

If the work is carried out on the ceiling surface, then in order to remove the water-based paint, you need to use a wash from the store, which in its composition contains potent substances that allow you to effectively deal with layers of old paint. For such work, it is important to open windows and doors so that there is natural ventilation in the room.

If you need to remove oil paintthen it is important to know the features of this coating. It is often used to decorate space. Cleaning oil paint is often not easy and sometimes you have to apply a whole range of measures.

For work, you will need such tools: several spatulas with different sizes, rags, a wash with a strong chemical composition, a grinder, sandpaper, a soldering iron.

Hands are protected with gloves, and a respirator is put on the face. The chemical must be applied to the wall and left there for as long as the instructions suggest.

It will be possible to remove the remover along with the paint with a rag. If at one time you did not manage to remove the entire layer of paint, then you will need to repeat the procedure again. When the paint is already old and begins to crack, then it is removed with a spatula, the size of which is selected according to the situation. In difficult-to-clean areas, work is best done with a small spatula.

In the event that the spatula did not help, then you can take a construction hairdryer. They will heat a small section of the wall, after which it must be cleaned immediately. The most effective work will be with two people - so that one heats up, and the second cleans the surface of the wall.

When working with a sander, the easiest way to remove the old layer of oil paint is by using a spatula in addition to the machine. You need to put on a nozzle with coarse sandpaper on the machine and start polishing the wall. The fewer layers are left, the thinner sandpaper should be used. This option, although effective, is very dusty.

In the event that you have to cleanse textured painting, then you can use any of the previously listed methods. An uneven coating will not make it possible to work comfortably with a spatula, therefore it is better for him to highlight an auxiliary role. The use of a water-based emulsion can also be used for textured wall decoration, which should immediately focus on how and with what you will remove the old coating.

When to remove acrylic paint, then the process will be a little easier and faster. You will need to take a metal bristle brush or sandpaper and actively remove the paint from the walls. In this case, there will also be a lot of dust, therefore it is important to protect the eyes and respiratory organs.

To get rid of old paint in an apartment, you need to choose the right way to deal with it. In the kitchen or bathroom, oil paints are most often used, which cannot be washed off, because they are moisture resistant. The best remedy in this case is to clean the surface with a power tool and a suitable nozzle.

An option for dealing with old paint can be the use of a stripper, a substance that can remove the paint and varnish layer from any surface. The cleaning process is fast enough, but there are also disadvantages. Substances have a high level of toxicity, therefore it is important to be careful and adhere to all necessary safety measures.

Another option that allows you to quickly clean painted walls involves the use of heat treatment of the surface. A construction hair dryer or a Soviet iron will cope with this task.The main principle of action is to soften the paint, after which you can clean off the unnecessary paint layer using a scraper.

Another option that can be used involves cleaning the concrete wall from paint with a grinder or grinder. The painted surface can be removed layer by layer without any great effort or harm to health. This is an environmentally friendly option, safe for humans, but it has a significant drawback - a huge amount of dust in the process.

If you have to work with the ceiling and wash off the whitewash, then it is best to use a liquid and a fluffy roller with which you can soak the ceiling. Depending on the thickness of the plaster layer and the age of its application, the soaking time may be different. As soon as the top layer has become soaked, it can be scraped off with a spatula.

Some carry the danger of chemical poisoning, but save you from washing out the dust. Other methods are distinguished by a sparing attitude to health, but much dirtier. These were the main points to be aware of when choosing the type of work during the renovation.

This option involves working with any tool to achieve a good result. You can work from any point on the wall, gradually cleaning everything that is on it. A grinder or a drill with a brush are the most effective options for this job.

The work will be dusty, therefore it is impossible to start without a respirator. In order to somehow reduce the amount of future garbage, you need to wipe the working wall with a cloth soaked in water. This is best done by an assistant who does not operate a power tool to reduce the risk of hazardous situations. In addition, safety precautions involve wearing gloves so that the tool is firmly fixed in the hand and does not slip.

In awkward places such as sockets and switches, work is done with a chisel. If it does not clean the paint well, then it needs sharpening, which will need to be carried out from time to time. If after cleaning you do not plan to level the surface of the wall, then it can be cleaned with sandpaper, and then leveled with putty.

In order to quickly and effectively remove paint from a concrete wall, you need to use a special remover, which is applied to the surface and kept for some time. This option is suitable for both oil and acrylic paint. As soon as the top layer has softened, you can start cleaning it.

For all the simplicity of the work, this option also has disadvantages. The first of them is the high cost of drugs of this type. The second involves special waste disposal, because they contain a huge amount of toxins, which, in turn, makes itself felt with a terrible smell. In addition, this option is available for those surfaces that are painted only once. Otherwise, for each new layer, a new solution will be applied and old paint removed, and so on until the very foundation.

In order to somehow reduce the cost of a chemical solution and reduce its harm, you can prepare a similar mixture yourself. To do this, you need a little more than a kilogram of quicklime, 0.5 kg of calcium and water. All components are mixed and then applied to the wall. After twelve hours, you can easily remove the old paint coat.

The easiest and most effective option would be to treat the wall where you want to remove the paint with a construction hair dryer. When heated to a high temperature, the paint softens and is easily removed.Once the hair dryer has touched the paint to the point of bubbling, you can start to remove the unnecessary paint layer with a spatula. It is very convenient in this way to work in places near switches and sockets.

Of the disadvantages of this method, one can note a small area that can be heated at a time, and, accordingly, a slow course of work; do not work near wires and wiring, so that they do not melt under the influence of temperatures.

When exposed to high temperatures, harmful substances also evaporate from the paint, so do not forget about a respirator.

In order to make cleaning the walls from old paint easy, you need to choose the right work option. With the right action on the wall or ceiling, the paint will fall off quickly, and the surface of the wall will not be damaged and you will not need to putty and level it.

In this case, it is important to pay attention to greasy spots that may be on the wall. If there are any, then it is important to bring them together, otherwise they will show through on fresh paint. To prevent this from happening, you will have to wipe the spot with the stain, putty it and only paint the field again.

Alternatively, you can also use chalk. If you rub the stained area with a clean piece of chalk, the greasy stain will gradually be absorbed into it. You need to repeat the procedure until the stain completely disappears. You can try cleaning the greasy stain with a detergent that fights all kinds of stains on surfaces.

Work with paint should be carried out taking into account the type of coating. For some, a tough impact is needed, for others - a delicate one. The same principle works when cleaning old paint from walls. Based on what exactly you want to get, there is the use of certain methods and methods, which in the end will give you the desired result.

For information on how to properly remove oil paint from the walls, see below.