# Epoxy strip/removal



## four2knapp (Jun 19, 2011)

What is the best stripper for an epoxy residential bar top? I am looking for a fast and thorough product. 








I've read through the claims on many products - 
Leaning towards Back to Nature Multistrip









I am open to suggestions. Ultimately will be staining it very dark. Will be doing this Jan/Feb. in an un occupied home. Windows nearby...but it will be winter in WI. 



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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Maybe Smart Strip. We usually power sand vs chem strip in a finished home weather occupied or unoccupied.


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## four2knapp (Jun 19, 2011)

cdpainting said:


> Maybe Smart Strip. We usually power sand vs chem strip in a finished home weather occupied or unoccupied.




I should have mentioned it has a partial live edge/ partial hand hewn on both edges.








The top is quite thick. My 2 RO sanders could NOT cut it. Maybe this project can wait until I get that $99 festool?


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## PRC (Aug 28, 2014)

Whichever remover you use make sure it states that it will not discolor wood. My favorite remover is Fiberlock Piranha 4.


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

Do you know exactly what was used last time? How much time do you have to do the stripping? No matter if you chemically strip, mechanically strip via sanding, or heat/scrape/curse a lot/repeat, you'll need to figure out adequate containment & ventilation. It's gonna get ugly.


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## four2knapp (Jun 19, 2011)

stelzerpaintinginc. said:


> Do you know exactly what was used last time?........
> It's gonna get ugly.



No I am not 100% sure what was used. I assume it was a poured on product.

I am having huge 2nd thoughts about this. It may be more cost effective to replace or cover it with copper or something 

I do not really have any time constraints. I charge by the hour to strip painted items and wallpaper.


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

four2knapp said:


> The top is quite thick. My 2 RO sanders could NOT cut it. Maybe this project can wait until I get that $99 festool?



You'll need to step up to a Festool RAS or Rotax if you want to sand to bare wood. I have the old version of the Pro5 LTD and because it has a 2mm stroke its intended to be a fine finish sander typically using grits 180 or higher.



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## woodcoyote (Dec 30, 2012)

PNW Painter said:


> You'll need to step up to a Festool RAS or Rotax if you want to sand to bare wood. I have the old version of the Pro5 LTD and because it has a 2mm stroke its intended to be a fine finish sander typically using grits 180 or higher.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


My honest opinion:
A true bar top finish would probably laugh at the RAS & Rotex. Not that they aren't good machines, but they aren't built in a way that can take those finishes off easily.

For removal of heavy coatings on wood we grab our dewalt and bust it out quick. I had to sand down a fireplace mantel I put 2 coats of bartop finish on and had it back down to raw wood in under 10 minutes.

RAS, which is more of a fixed grinding action has max rpm of 4,000 where as our dewalt is around 11,000. I love Festool...but not for that job, they are meant for fino work, and this stripping stuff is heavy duty work. 

OP, if interested PM me and I'll walk you through it, it's a bit tricky.


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## PRC (Aug 28, 2014)

woodcoyote said:


> My honest opinion:
> A true bar top finish would probably laugh at the RAS & Rotex. Not that they aren't good machines, but they aren't built in a way that can take those finishes off easily.
> 
> For removal of heavy coatings on wood we grab our dewalt and bust it out quick. I had to sand down a fireplace mantel I put 2 coats of bartop finish on and had it back down to raw wood in under 10 minutes.
> ...


I get what you're saying about the higher RPMs of an angle grinder but the problem I've run into is the abrasive clogging because it melts the coating. We do a good bit of removal with the RAS when the grinder is too much. For heavy stuff that wants to melt we use 24 grit and turn the speed down. It's plenty fast.

The problem I see with aggressive sanding on large flat surfaces like the counter is that unless the OP is very careful the top may go out of plane. I'd go for chemical removal with only finish sanding on this one.


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