The use of chemical strippers is not as easy as many people think, especially when it pertains to stripping paints and stains off of facia, soffit, decks and logs. There are scenarios that stripping is unavoidable, however we use stripping as a last option if no other treatment is applicable.
Pros
1. Strippers can remove multiple layers of paint and stain
2. The best option for lead paint removal. Dust is not created and so there is less contamination.
3. Won’t texture the wood. Great of smooth surfaces such as tongue and groove soffits ( unless used with aggressive a pressure washing)
Cons
1. Some are toxic and all are caustic. Some strippers contain methylene chloride or dichloromethane which can cause dizziness, fatigue,nausea,headaches, numbness, weakness, and irritation of the respirator track and eyes. Not to mention it causes cancer in laboratory animals and can be inhaled or absorbed through your skin.
2. Can kill vegetation.
3. Hard to keep it off of clothes and exsposed skin.
4. Many are temperature sensitive. Meaning that you need warm weather.
5. Some require a long dwell time to work.
5. May require multiple applications.
6. Some change the P.H. of the wood and must be neutralzed.
7. Some strippers are expensive
8. Some jobs can be very labor intensive.
9. Not all strippers work on all coatings
10. Last but not least using chemical strippers is the crews least favorite job.
So you can see that the cons greatly outweigh the pros. This is the main reason that we prefer to use other options of stain and paint removal. There are times that stripping is the only or best option.
Staying safe is the biggest concern for me and the crew. When we use strippers Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is a must. First eye protection is a must. If we are brushing or rolling then standard Z87+ glasses are enough. However if we are applying it with a airless sprayer or removing it with a pressure washer on vertical walls or overhead then full sealed goggles are a must. Gloves are a must and I don’t mean light weigh latex gloves or leather, we use heavy duty forearm length nitrile gloves. Gloves are often taped over the sleeves. Rubber boots are necessary while pressure washing. Pant legs are placed over the top of the boot while washing. To protect the body we wear tyvek suits when applying or scrapping and heavy rubber rain bibs and jackets when pressure washing.
So what are some common applications where we use strippers? Number one reason is decks. If the stain is peeling and won’t simply pressure wash off we would apply a stripper to completely remove all failing stain before reapplying stain. This is more cost effective in some cases if we aren’t media blasting on the job. If we need to get soffits down to bare wood because the customer wants to change the color of stain or there is mold and mildew under the stain then strippers are used. And the third common use of strippers if there is lead present. Paint containing lead is on many old buildings. As a restoration specialist we are required to test all buildings built prior to 1978 and have to take additional precautions if it is found. Using a thick stripper such as Smart Strip TM applied to the coating and then scraped off produces no lead dust and lead contamination can be confined with poly drop cloth which can simply be rolled up and placed in bags for disposal.
So as I stated in the beginning of this blog chemical stripping is not as easy as many would think. There is allot to think about if you are planning on doing a stripping project. My number one advice is to get a good product and learn about it. Acquire the spec and MSDS sheets before you make your purchase and read them entirely. If you are going to have someone else do the work provide them the spec and MSDS sheets make sure they read them, and provide the appropriate PPE. It is my opinion that large or difficult stripping jobs are best left to the professionals.