# paint removal tools



## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

What tool or system do you use to remove oil based flakey paint to take it back to the wood.
If you say a paint eater I will laugh at you.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

Depends on what you are stripping.. Many options available. .

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## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

I find I need to strip wooden windows and maybe a doorstep. I would usually use a heat gun.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

mv8710 said:


> I find I need to strip wooden windows and maybe a doorstep. I would usually use a heat gun.


Well it depends how detailed they are. However I usually just hit em with a 7" grinder with 24-50 grit paper. If your a high roller you could invest in festool equipment, but I normally just buy whatever is on sale for under $100.
You can burn through anything in seconds..

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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

there may be some limitations, in regard to Lead Safety, with what you can actually use (if that is relevant here).


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## Gymschu (Mar 11, 2011)

A good ol' Warner carbide bladed scraper takes off a LOT of paint, a lot more than you think it would.


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## EveryDay (Mar 23, 2019)

mv8710 said:


> What tool or system do you use to remove oil based flakey paint to take it back to the wood.
> If you say a paint eater I will laugh at you.





mv8710 said:


> I find I need to strip wooden windows and maybe a doorstep. I would usually use a heat gun.


*"heat gun....to remove old oil lead loaded paint"*
Hahahahahaha


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Festool RO 150 FEQ Rotex Sander

I'd start with 60 grit and finish with 100. You might need a delta head (triangle) sander for the corners.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Does anyone have experience using a Bosch 1250DEVS Orbital Sander? It's a 6 amp dual-mode sander and much cheaper than the Festool equivalent RO150

I've used Benjamin Moore chemicals to strip decks but it's a long process and doesn't always work. I think I'll try just stripping with a rotex type sander this year. You still have to sand it after a chemical strip anyways.

https://goo.gl/7bFdzp


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

I would use my six-inch Porter cable orbital with heavy grit. For lead based paint I have had some pretty decent success with the peel away system.


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## ParamountPaint (Aug 25, 2016)

Mr Smith said:


> Does anyone have experience using a Bosch 1250DEVS Orbital Sander? It's a 6 amp dual-mode sander and much cheaper than the Festool equivalent RO150
> 
> I've used Benjamin Moore chemicals to strip decks but it's a long process and doesn't always work. I think I'll try just stripping with a rotex type sander this year. You still have to sand it after a chemical strip anyways.
> 
> https://goo.gl/7bFdzp


I have that Bosch sander and it is a beast. Very well made.


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## Peanut (Nov 19, 2015)

+1 for Festool Rotex. The grind setting with heavy grit chews through most things I've come in contact with. Bite the bullet and get a system, it's dramatically improved the prep process on several areas of my business, couldn't imagine not having one now, I'd be miserable.


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

*Bosch vs. Festool*



Mr Smith said:


> Does anyone have experience using a Bosch 1250DEVS Orbital Sander? It's a 6 amp dual-mode sander and much cheaper than the Festool equivalent RO150
> 
> I've used Benjamin Moore chemicals to strip decks but it's a long process and doesn't always work. I think I'll try just stripping with a rotex type sander this year. You still have to sand it after a chemical strip anyways.
> 
> https://goo.gl/7bFdzp


I don't have experience with the Bosch, but I've stripped lots of homes. For mechanical means, I start with the RAS 115, Followed up by RO 125, & RO 90 w/delta head in corners & hard-to-reach spots. If it's smooth siding to be painted with some sheen, I'll finish with DTS 400.

Stripping multiple layers with just the RO 150 or RO 125 is taxing and very time consuming, even with their 24 & 36 grit paper. The RAS 115 is an absolute monster, but since it has more of a grinder action, should definitely be followed up by orbitals to remove swirls. For just over $350, that sander pays for itself in 1 day when stripping whole homes to bare wood. 

I'd still be interested in hearing if others have had experiences with the sander you mentioned. I just got tired of trying every new non-festool sander to see how they stacked-up, or I'd consider it myself. That Bosch has great reviews and probably less than half the cost.


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## ParamountPaint (Aug 25, 2016)

I have had the Bosch one for maybe 4 years now. The one I have is made in either germany or switzerland...I don't recall offhand.

I refinished some heart pine floors in a few upstairs bedrooms in my house with it on a whim...worked pretty quick. Obviously, not a task you would use it for in a commercial sense, but it worked fine when I was bored on a Sunday afternoon.

I've mainly used it for floors (edge work) and stairs. They have a hard pad and a soft. I've never used the hard pad, but that could be the ticket for paint stripping. Dust collection is good, but Bosch uses odd size connectors, so you may need an adapter.

It will not work without a vac connected. Maybe for one minute, but that's it. It has no internal blower/vac/collection means. If you run it without a vac, it will heat up and ruin the pad or clog the abrasive within 60 seconds. I hook it to the vac with one of those I-Vac relays to turn on the vacuum. If you have a good vac with auto tool activation, that may be better, but it does draw enough power to make the cord warm.

I buy the Mirka Gold discs in 50 packs online. Home Depot has some universal 6" discs from Diablo, but they ruin the hook and loop system with all of the holes.

All in all, it is a very finely built sander. It is a heavy and aggressive thing, so I would not be personally enthused about using it vertically for a long period of time. I think that it would compare very favorably to the Festool version. Having used both, I feel the Bosch is better made, but if you already are in the Festool platform, perhaps it's better to stay there.

I have always been a fan of Bosch tools, but they don't seem to put much effort into the US market. I love the paper attachment method on their 1/4 sheet sander, but the switch is the weak point. The 10.8V (now magically 12V) drills and impact drivers are great but where are the rest of the cool tools they have overseas?


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## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

Mr Smith said:


> Festool RO 150 FEQ Rotex Sander
> 
> I'd start with 60 grit and finish with 100. You might need a delta head (triangle) sander for the corners.
> 
> https://youtu.be/7067LXNwNAU


Thanks for the reply, that looks awesome. But will it handle this sort of stuff?


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

Do we care about RRP anymore, or is that old news? 

My official position is that I have nothing further to say on the matter...


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

Holland said:


> Do we care about RRP anymore, or is that old news?
> 
> My official position is that I have nothing further to say on the matter...




I know this is going to be an unpopular response but I think that is a very over bearing law. (As many are) To be able to work the way the law is written has to be nearly impossible especially on large wood sided houses that are 2.5 stories with steep roofs(ones that require board and brackets) and large dormers. How are you supposed to wash, scrape, sand without breaking that law. I'm all for what another poster said. A carbide scraper, a 5-1, and a belt sander to sharpen said scrapers when they begin to dull.


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## Benni.shade89 (Jul 2, 2019)

Depends on several factor so it's hard to say what's the best option,
There are several options
1. you could use paint stripper
2. Sand the paint off
3. Scrape the paint with blade

https://elpainters.com.au


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## OT Painting (Mar 2, 2019)

Sharpen a carbide blade with a belt sander ? Ive got to try that one.


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## OT Painting (Mar 2, 2019)

mv8710 said:


> Thanks for the reply, that looks awesome. But will it handle this sort of stuff?


I’m looking for the same solution for a triple decker. Working off a 40. How heavy are those Festools. I would also think about buying a swimming pool vacuum hose to attach to my Festool vac that I’ve had for a while now. (my first and only Festool I own)


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

OT Painting said:


> I’m looking for the same solution for a triple decker. Working off a 40. How heavy are those Festools. I would also think about buying a swimming pool vacuum hose to attach to my Festool vac that I’ve had for a while now. (my first and only Festool I own)


For the most part, I got away from that type of work years ago. But when I first started in the 70's, it made up a large portion of my work. A lot of 3 story Victorian homes in my area. And to this day I've never seen one of them being painted that was in compliance with the regs.. Luckily for the painters around here, the regs are not enforced. It's really not fair to the companies that attempt to comply with the regs.

A carbide scraper was always my # 1 tool.


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

Lightningboy65 said:


> A carbide scraper was always my # 1 tool.



Once I went carbide, there was no going back. Ever. Don't know about sharpening the blades though. I've seen guys use a belt sander on regular steel blades, didn't think it would work on carbide.


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

Wildbill7145 said:


> Once I went carbide, there was no going back. Ever. Don't know about sharpening the blades though. I've seen guys use a belt sander on regular steel blades, didn't think it would work on carbide.


Yeah, carbide is pretty tough. A sharpening on the belt sander may have a psychological effect...if the user thinks it's sharper, then the tool will work better. But I don't think a sander is going to do much to a carbide edge. But maybe it works, I never tried it. I think you're further ahead to just replace the blade.

I remember the old Red Devil scrapers....a belt sander worked great on those. You could grind a blade down to nothing in a day. God, I hated those things!


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

One thing I noticed a little while ago is that you can get bulk (relatively speaking) packs of carbide blades on Amazon for about half of what I have to pay for them at the local department store where I have to get my blades. I might give them a shot and see if they're any good.


Then again, if you need that many blades that's gotta mean your painting life kind of sucks if you're doing that much scraping.


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## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

Attn: Painters. this is something Tim the Toolman Taylor would come up with....
It's called an Alderson. and its water cooled....


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## canopainting (Feb 12, 2013)

Why strip it. Sand it clean dry and dull and prime.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

I bought this tool once but returned it because it didn't fit my grinder. It looked promising. I just wasn't in the mood to buy a new grinder because mine was brand new.


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## illusionsgame (Aug 1, 2010)

Variable speed angle grinder with 3M Sandblaster pad. Awesome


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