How to Remove Old Paint from Your Interior Walls
Peeling paint on your walls can be an eye-sore but hiring an expert to come and remove old paint may be costly. If you have the time and skills, you can don the overalls to start tackling the job on your own. First, test the paint to find out whether it contains lead. You can use head to the local hardware and ask for lead test kits.
The other alternative is to let an expert inspect it. If the paint is lead-based, it is recommended that you actually leave the task to professionals. However, if the test doesn’t show the presence of lead, you may go on to remove the paint on your own.
It will take you patience and perseverance to remove the paint click site. Here is a simple guide for removing the paint from the interior walls.
- Wear protective devices like rubber gloves, a respirator and a protective eye wear. This is very important as you deal with powerful alkalis and solvents used during the task.
- Prepare the room by removing or covering all furniture in the room. You should also cover the floor with old bed sheets or tarp to guard it against damage. Ensure the room is properly ventilated so that you don’t inhale fumes. An electric fan can help here. You should switch of the mains as well.
- Start removing the loose paint using a scraper. Although the first scraping can be tough, it will get easier as you proceed. When scraping can’t help to remove more paint, go to the next step.
- You can use two methods to take off old paint from your interior walls – by use of heat or chemicals. Liquid paint strippers work by weakening the paint’s chemical bonds. The process of application and disposal may from one brand to another, so follow the guidelines provided on the package. To remove the old paint using heat can be done using a hot plate or heat gun.
- Usually, scraping can remove nearly the entire old paint. To achieve this, you can use a sander. Ensure the walls are tidy, even and fully dry before repainting them
