Just as there is no perpetual motion machine, there is also no eternal interior. There are several reasons for changing the design of an apartment or room - out of fashion, tired, "worn out". When it comes to refinishing painted walls, there are two ways to approach the solution. If the coating has no defects and holds well, then primer on the old paint, and then a new coating is applied - wallpaper or a new paint layer. If there is at least minimal damage to the finish (cracks, peeling), the paint must be completely removed without fail, although this can be quite a difficult task. Consider all possible ways to remove paint, including oil and water-based, using various methods and tools.
Four ways to remove paint: features and stages of work
There are several ways to remove old paint. For high-quality and effective removal of obsolete layers, the following factors are taken into account:
- the type of paint being removed;
- type of surface material;
- the presence of an auxiliary tool.
mechanical way
It is used in the case of multilayer wall coating with oil or moisture-resistant emulsion compositions.
Tools:
- scraper;
- axe;
- hammer;
- putty knife.
Progress:
- With light tapping of the hammer, swollen and exfoliated areas should be removed.
- With an ax, make small notches at a close distance from each other.
- Clean the surface by prying off the notched areas of the painted layer with a spatula.
Advantages of the method:
- simplicity;
- availability and low cost;
- no specific knowledge or tools required;
- well suited for cleaning walls in the kitchen or bathroom from old multi-layer coating.
Flaws:
- labour intensive;
- dusty;
- requires some skills in handling the tool;
- not suitable for removing paint from concrete surfaces.
Note! The ax involved in the paint removal procedure must be well sharpened.
Electromechanical method
The principle of this method is similar to manual mechanical, only instead of your own efforts, a power tool is used: the old coating is removed using a drill or grinder with special nozzles.
Advantages of the method:
- allows you to quickly clean the surface of a large area;
- does not require physical effort.
Flaws:
- significant noise during the working process;
- a significant amount of dust;
- the need to have a sufficient number of nozzles due to their rapid wear;
- the inability to peel off the paint in hard-to-reach places, for example, behind the pipes in the bathroom.
thermal method
It is mainly used for cleaning of multi-layer coatings of wooden walls. The principle of operation is based on the property of the paint to soften under the influence of high temperatures. Tools:
- hot air gun;
- heavy iron;
- putty knife.
Progress:
- Direct a stream of hot air to the painted wall, withstand the time required to soften and remove old layers.
- When the paint begins to bubble, scrape off the coating with a spatula.
Softened layers of paint are removed immediately. Overheating of the paint is not allowed - the baked composition is difficult to scrape off.
Advantages:
- fast way;
- does not require special skills.
Flaws:
- a special building hair dryer is required;
- release of a pungent odor;
- toxicity (it is necessary to use protective equipment);
- limited use - poorly suited for concrete and brick walls due to the low thermal insulation qualities of the material (heat will quickly spread along the wall and the paint will not warm up to the desired state).
- should not be used on areas with electrical wiring or melting coating, near glass (may burst).
It is convenient to heat a small area (in the bathroom) with a very hot iron through foil.
Chemical method
It is based on the property of paint to soften under the influence of special chemical solutions (washes). Layer removal tools:
- paint roller;
- chemical solution - wash;
- spatula or brush with metal bristles.
Work progress:
- The chemical solution is applied with a roller in a thin layer in one direction. Be careful not to splash the mixture.
- The wall is covered with plastic wrap (an optional step, used for a certain type of washes, indicated in the instructions).
- The time of action of the composition is maintained (follow the manufacturer's recommendations and visually evaluate the appearance of the surface).
- The polyethylene is removed, the softened oil composition is removed with a spatula.
- Residues of the chemical composition are gently washed off with water.
Advantages:
- rapidity;
- availability of ready-made washes.
Flaws:
- highly toxic method;
- high cost of washes;
- special waste disposal is required;
- long-term preservation of an unpleasant chemical smell in the room;
- with multi-layer coating, the ideal result is achieved after repeated removal of layers;
- some old coatings (especially in the bathroom) may not be affected by the wash.
With any removal method, it is important to ensure good ventilation. Be sure to use personal protective equipment (gloves, respirator, goggles or mask).
When removing paint from the walls of an apartment, a combination of different methods is possible. This may be required if there are different types of coatings in different rooms, such as bathrooms and kitchens. It may also happen that one wall in the bathroom was covered with different compositions.
Surface cleaning from water-based paint
Remove water-based paint, which does not have the property of moisture resistance, is very simple: you only need water, a paint roller and a spatula.
- The treated surface is abundantly wetted with a moistened roller. In order for the entire coating layer to be saturated with water, you need to wait 10-15 minutes.
- The swollen layer is removed with a spatula. It is advisable to moisten and remove the coating on small areas of the wall.
To determine the type of water-based paint, it is enough to swipe a moistened cloth over the surface. Non-moisture resistant emulsion will color the material.
With a moisture-resistant water-based coating, sometimes you have to tinker. In addition to the four methods listed above, suitable for different types of paint, you can remove it using the following simple method:
- Using a liquid solution of PVA glue or wallpaper paste, paste over the painted wall with newspapers.
- After the adhesive has completely dried, tear off the newspapers - they should lag behind the wall along with the paint.
- Clean off the remaining coating with a spatula.
Removing oil paint
For the most resistant oil composition, there are several more methods of removal:
- Foil + iron. The foil is applied to the painted wall, ironed with a hot iron. The softened coating is removed with a spatula.
- Liquid glass. The wall is covered with this material, after complete drying, the liquid glass forms a film that can be removed along with the paint.
- Lime + potassium carbonate (soda ash). A solution of components with a ratio of 3: 1 is applied to the wall for 12 hours, then the oil coating is removed with a spatula. Lime must be quicklime.
It is not always possible to determine the characteristics of the composition applied to the wall. To understand what is the best way to clean the surface, experiment with a small area of coverage.Test samples will not only help you choose an effective paint removal method, but will also let you know what material the walls are made of and how many layers of finishing material are applied to them.
