Effective methods on how and how to remove old paint from a wooden floor
During renovations, the question often arises as to whether the flooring needs to be replaced.
To make a decision, you need to critically examine the floor, decide what is best - use a new coating or restore the old one.
How to remove the old one paint from a wooden floor at home, read below.
Content
How to remove a relatively fresh one?
If the floors have been painted relatively recently - 1-2 years and 1 or 2 layers of paint have been applied to the wood, then it can be softened by moistening it generously with hot water and leaving it for 2-3 hours, remove soaked dye mechanically.
If this method does not help, then the floor should be thoroughly wiped and moistened with mineral kerosene or any other solvent.
After the paint has softened, remove it using one of the tools:
- brushes with metal bristles,
- scraper,
- spatula.
When using chemicals to clean the floor, it is necessary to ensure the room is ventilated to avoid poisoning by toxic fumes.
When cleaning wood mechanically, a large amount of fine dust, consisting of particles of paint and sawdust, gets into the air. That's why worth taking care of:
- protective clothing,
- hat,
- respirator,
- gloves.
Cleaning methods at home
There are several most common ways to remove paint from wooden surfaces:
| Way | Process | Tools | pros | Minuses |
| Mechanical | The main area is cleaned with a power tool.To do this, the abrasive part of the tool is pressed against the surface to be cleaned and moves along it as the paint is removed. In hard-to-reach places or when the surface to be cleaned is small, use hand tools. | Manual: chisel, scrapers, brushes with metal bristles, hand scraper, plane, sandpaper. Electrical: electric planer, flat and angle grinder, drill with special attachments, milling cutters, surface grinders, sanders. | Sufficiently fast and high-quality cleaning of any type of paint, regardless of the number of layers. | There is a large amount of dust; when the fastener heads protrude from the board, damage and damage to the instrument may occur. |
| Chemical | The wash is prepared in the manner specified in the instructions for it. Using a wide brush or roller, the liquid or gel-like mass is applied to the floor, the aerosol is sprayed for the time specified by the manufacturer. Then the softened paint is cleaned off mechanically. If necessary, the process is repeated. | Wash, a container for diluting it and working it, a brush or roller, hand and power tools for mechanical cleaning. | Ease of operation. Copes well with relatively new layers of paint. | It does not always cope effectively with a large number of layers of old paint. Chemicals have a persistent, specific odor, and their fumes are toxic. May cause chemical burns if in contact with skin. |
| Thermal | The painted wooden surface is treated with a heating device. The paint softens, bubbles and comes off the surface. At this point, it must be removed using a spatula, scraper or hook. | Heating device: industrial hair dryer, various burners, blowtorch. | Ease of operation. The cleaned surface is immediately ready to apply a new coat of paint without any preliminary work. | High fire hazard. Possibility of releasing toxic fumes. The method is suitable for open, well-ventilated areas. |
How to remove different types of coating?
Different paints have their own physical and chemical properties, adhesion characteristics, therefore, in order to remove it from a wooden surface as efficiently as possible, it is advisable to know its type:
-
Oily. Has the strongest adhesion to wood. Due to its properties, it lasts longer on boards and is most often applied in several layers.To remove it, complex work using thermal and mechanical methods is most often necessary.
- Acrylic dye. Recent layers are easily removed after soaking with ordinary hot water, mineral kerosene or alcohol solution.
The old layer is removed thermally or mechanically.
- Water-based dyes. They are easily removed from wooden surfaces mechanically, after preliminary wetting with water.
The most common mistakes
When carrying out cleaning work, in order to avoid negative results, some nuances should be taken into account:
- Chemicals, by dissolving paint, can cause staining of wood fibers, so initially it is necessary to clean a small area of the floor.
- Some types of paints, when heat treated, form a strong adhesion to wood. To avoid this, it is also recommended to test the method on a small area of the surface.
- The thermal cleaning method requires a certain skill and speed in performing the work. Heated paint must be cleaned off as soon as possible, since when it cools, it turns into a hard baked mass, which will be quite problematic to remove. It is more convenient to hold the hair dryer in your left hand and the scraper in your right.
How to make your work easier: useful tips
To carry out repair work as efficiently as possible, you need to use the following tips:
-
Old paint from the floor can be removed using sandblasting (high pressure). Using a powerful jet of water and sand, it will clean the surface even in the most inaccessible places.However, this device is expensive and it is unprofitable to buy it for one repair.
- Environmentally friendly chemical method. A wash consisting of 3 parts quicklime and 1 part soda ash.
Dilute with water until a homogeneous thick paste is obtained, apply to the surface, and leave overnight. In the morning, remove the swollen paint with a spatula.
- To increase the effectiveness of the chemical method, after applying the product, it is recommended to create a “greenhouse effect”. To do this, the treated surface is covered with plastic film.
- If there is a need to use the thermal method, but there is no necessary equipment, then you can use a simple iron. The surface is heated through a layer of aluminum foil. The heated paint is cleaned off with a spatula.
- Using a grinder with a built-in vacuum cleaner or a hammer drill equipped with a paint removal chain will help reduce the amount of dust when using the mechanical method. The chain peels off the paint layer in large pieces and dust does not get into the air.
In addition, this method is the most environmentally friendly - a minimum amount of dust is generated, there are no toxic fumes. However, it should be borne in mind that significant physical effort will be required.
Video on the topic
Cleaning a thick layer of paint from a wooden floor, video instructions:
Conclusion
Like any finishing material, flooring needs periodic updating. If you plan to repaint, then after removing the old paint layer, you need to sand the wood.
It is often problematic to clean the floor efficiently using one method, so you should combine them, taking into account the characteristics of a particular floor covering.
