Removing latex paint-how?
- Thread starter MGC
- Start date
OP
OP
MGC
Scrapmaker
Have you ever tried denatured alcohol?
How about Goof-off?
Supposedly these remove latex paint. My concern is that they will attack the paint beneath.
I am pretty sure that I can control heat well enough to avoid damaging the filler but also a bit nervous to try it.
I have not forgotten the lesson I learned tarring my first good pair of racing skis! I managed to get some pretty good char. Good for Salmon Skin Rolls, but not for lignostone.....
How about Goof-off?
Supposedly these remove latex paint. My concern is that they will attack the paint beneath.
I am pretty sure that I can control heat well enough to avoid damaging the filler but also a bit nervous to try it.
I have not forgotten the lesson I learned tarring my first good pair of racing skis! I managed to get some pretty good char. Good for Salmon Skin Rolls, but not for lignostone.....
Denatured alcohol should not remove old dry oil base paint. You would have to rub really hard. I do not know what it will do to latex. I have not found Goof Off to be as strong as they claim it is. Others may have more information about that stuff. Is it peeling any where? Sometimes if it is starting to peel you can just keep working it off.
Todd Bradshaw
Sailmaker
I doubt you will find any solvent that's going to wash latex off without being strong enough to attack what's under it. Alcohol and stuff like Goo Gone may make the surface tacky, but that's probably about all, and you would be there for decades rubbing it. The problem is that in order to wash off dried paint, you have to replace the solvent, moisture or whatever was originally in it to make it soft or liquid. Dried paint doesn't suck up solvents anywhere near fast enough to do this. It takes strong chemicals, like those in stripper, which really attack and liquify the old finish - and will most likely also go after your filler.
I don't think there is much you can do other than abrade it off (sand, scrape or whatever else you've got). I suspect that a good cabinet scraper may be the fastest, most controllable tool to get the latex off without tearing up what's under it.
I don't think there is much you can do other than abrade it off (sand, scrape or whatever else you've got). I suspect that a good cabinet scraper may be the fastest, most controllable tool to get the latex off without tearing up what's under it.
If the scraper doesn't work, if this is traditional filler, some gently applied stripper may not do too much harm.
Correct me if I'm "mis-remembering" but I remember an old canoe repair article that discussed re-attaching a good canvas. It suggested softening the canvas with some stipper to make the job easier.
You might try a small test, brush a little bix over a small area, scrub/scrape it off before it bites into the filler. From having to remove multiple layers of paint in the past, I suspect that the fresh latex will bubble up quicker than the ancient enamel.
Correct me if I'm "mis-remembering" but I remember an old canoe repair article that discussed re-attaching a good canvas. It suggested softening the canvas with some stipper to make the job easier.
You might try a small test, brush a little bix over a small area, scrub/scrape it off before it bites into the filler. From having to remove multiple layers of paint in the past, I suspect that the fresh latex will bubble up quicker than the ancient enamel.
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Zutefisk is on the right track, if it is only a single coat of latex (and hopefully cheap latex at that) using a product like zip strip over small areas will bubble latex off in an instant. You have to follow-up right away to remove the stripper or it will attack the filler below. Test first, work really small.
If the paint is fairly fresh, hot water to soften the paint followed with straight household ammonia will help remove the paint, but I have no idea how it will affect what lies beneath.
Another thought is to find a really, really good tape and apply it to the paint then pull it off and see if it takes the paint with it. You might try a technique that was once used to make frosted glass:
melt up a pot of gelatin add a hardener (some type of mild acid you need to google this) and take a strip of cloth soaked in the gelatin and apply it to the paint, let it dry/harden and then peel it off. The gelatin should take the paint with it.
This will take some research as to how to mix it, I'm only mentioning it as food for thought.
Then again, there is this stuff I read about called sandpaper...
If the paint is fairly fresh, hot water to soften the paint followed with straight household ammonia will help remove the paint, but I have no idea how it will affect what lies beneath.
Another thought is to find a really, really good tape and apply it to the paint then pull it off and see if it takes the paint with it. You might try a technique that was once used to make frosted glass:
melt up a pot of gelatin add a hardener (some type of mild acid you need to google this) and take a strip of cloth soaked in the gelatin and apply it to the paint, let it dry/harden and then peel it off. The gelatin should take the paint with it.
This will take some research as to how to mix it, I'm only mentioning it as food for thought.
Then again, there is this stuff I read about called sandpaper...
OP
OP
MGC
Scrapmaker
Lot's of good suggestions with the proviso that I am not keen on sanding and certainly not sanding latex.
I'll try a few different things and see what works.
I believe that the paint is pretty new. After all, the boat needed to be prettied up to sell, right? I am also hoping that it is pretty cheap paint. I half suspect that a few hours of paddling might loosen up some blisters that I can then peel away at. Who knows? Anyway, I am sure that one of these methods will work. I'll post back once I have figured it out.
In the meantime I will use it as is and see if the paint loosens up. This is going to be (another) winter project.
I'll try a few different things and see what works.
I believe that the paint is pretty new. After all, the boat needed to be prettied up to sell, right? I am also hoping that it is pretty cheap paint. I half suspect that a few hours of paddling might loosen up some blisters that I can then peel away at. Who knows? Anyway, I am sure that one of these methods will work. I'll post back once I have figured it out.
In the meantime I will use it as is and see if the paint loosens up. This is going to be (another) winter project.
