# Stripping Cedar Soffits/Eaves



## Repaintpro (Oct 2, 2012)

Hi guys, I have a question about stripping this timber soffit. What is the best way....... Do I man up and put on paper overalls, goggles and gloves and chemical strip? 

I can't remember ever stripping so chemical will fall down onto me/us! I have about 4 times the amount shown in image to take back to bare.


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Man, I would think deck stripper? Applied with a bug sprayer.


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

Bender said:


> Man, I would think deck stripper? Applied with a bug sprayer.


Yup, with rain gear and maybe 2 applications. Use BM Brightener per directions and rinse. Maybe sand when dry, follow up with the grain, but that can open up a can of worms by eating up time. Looks like end results will be sweet looking.

Keep a fiver of clean water near to rinse hands or face if exposed.


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## Brian C (Oct 8, 2011)

why not use an electric sander Steve ?


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## Repaintpro (Oct 2, 2012)

Brian C said:


> why not use an electric sander Steve ?


If I use a sander how can I get the sikkens out of the groves? Also it's about 4-5 times this size, I can hardly hold a beer can above my head for more than 30 seconds! :whistling2:


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## Brian C (Oct 8, 2011)

I would set up a plank and trestles and sand all the flat surfaces with my Rotex sander, then it would be some tedious hand sandpapering in the grooves. I doubt there is any paint stripper to remove a penetrating stain like that. 

Hire a labourer for a day or so.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Brian C said:


> I would set up a plank and trestles and sand all the flat surfaces with my Rotex sander, then it would be some tedious hand sandpapering in the grooves. I doubt there is any paint stripper to remove a penetrating stain like that.
> 
> Hire a labourer for a day or so.



That's probably how I would do it too. It's a lot of work, but using chems overhead is no fun either plus you have to worry about damaging anything underneath. Even if you did use chems, probably have to sand some anyway. 

We stripped a bunch of pine soffit that way last year. Started with a rotary sander and finished with an orbital. Took about one hour per 10 sq ft. One trick to getting the cracks was to use the edge of an orbital. It's hard on the hook and loop pads doing that, but much easer than hand sanding.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

Brian C said:


> I would set up a plank and trestles and sand all the flat surfaces with my Rotex sander, then it would be some tedious hand sandpapering in the grooves. *I doubt there is any paint stripper to remove a penetrating stain like that. *


Brian, I think the opposite is true. If you sand off a penetrating stain, you are leaving a barrier of stain below the surface that can cause issues. The wear that I see indicates an acrylic so sanding *may* be adequate since they don't penetrate that deep into the wood. 

What's the end goal here? Re-staining or painting? 

To get back to bare wood, this is a prime candidate for chem stripping and buffing. I am only going by what I see in the picture so here is my approach based on that.

- Light cans seem to be removed. Perfect. I would wrap the wires with an insulating tape and stuff the cans with a thin mil plastic. Obviously power should be off the whole time. 
- Apply a soy or citrus stripper. They are expensive but won't make you run for a pond if you get it on you. They are also usually like a gel so it will stick to the surface. You can use an airless to apply or roll it on. I'd mask any nearby painted surfaces that you want to protect. 
- Once the stripper has done it's thing, pressure wash with 800-1000 psi. 

The non caustic nature of this type or stripper will have the following benefits:
• It will cling long enough to work
• It will cut through the acrylic
• Coupled with low pressure washing, you will get far less furring of the wood.
• There is no need to neutralize with another chemical.

If you get furring, an Osborne brush on a variable speed buffer makes quick work of getting it smooth. 

Will it be messy and a lot of work? Oh yeah. Price accordingly especially factoring that in US measurements, these strippers can cost $40 per gallon and cover 70 s.f per gallon. I'll leave those metric conversions up to you.


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## Repaintpro (Oct 2, 2012)

We are re-staining this set of soffits so it needs to be perfect. We do have the availability of citrus strip that comes in gel form. It may be worth stripping with that and washing/pressure clean gently after that. 

We could actually apply with a roller without having to stand under a brush. 

Good thinking Pressure Pro! 

Brian, if I can avoid using scrapers on this one I will.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

Your in Australia right? Don't you have a Dulux there? 

They have an emulsion stain that works wonders, i believe it's a wood pride product. Not sure if it comes in a semi transparent though


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## benthepainter (Jun 17, 2011)

Repaintpro said:


> We are re-staining this set of soffits so it needs to be perfect. We do have the availability of citrus strip that comes in gel form. It may be worth stripping with that and washing/pressure clean gently after that. We could actually apply with a roller without having to stand under a brush. Good thinking Pressure Pro! Brian, if I can avoid using scrapers on this one I will.


Look keep things simple light sand prime it then the required base coat needed fly in Michael and get him to work his magic to grain it in the most expensive looking Grain money could buy or he could make it look like marble or clouds : ) options baby


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## benthepainter (Jun 17, 2011)

Your Welcome btw


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## benthepainter (Jun 17, 2011)

Even at smoko break I have time for My PT Brothers









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