How To Remove Exterior Paint – Tips and Tricks

Welcome back to the community blog! Today, we are discussing tips for removing paint from your home’s exterior and everything you need to know about the process. These are some of the best tips to consider even when hiring a professional like CertaPro of Southwest Washington. This team has been working on these types of projects for years and would be happy to help with your exterior painting project! Now is the perfect time of year to get your home ready and painted before winter.

• Determine which type of material you have underneath the paint. You’ll want to alter some of the next steps depending on what surface you are trying to remove the paint from. 
• Figure out which method you want to use. This is probably the most important tip because there are many ways to remove paint. Here are some of the most common ways
  • Thermal/Heat Gun – using heat to remove paint is helpful because it allows the paint to heat up and the adhesive to loosen easier. It can remove several layers of paint and it great for paint that is already chipping or peeling.
  • Chemicals – there are several chemical products available on the market that can penetrate into old paint and release it from the surface. However, chemicals can be hard to work with and maybe not as effective on certain types of paint. 
  • Scraping/Shaving – a tried and true method is scraping off the paint by hand with a shaver. You have to be careful with this method on wood paint because you don’t want to accidentally scrap off any wood. It’s best for siding and harder surfaces.  
  • Sanding – using a mechanical sander is a quicker was to use abrasion to remove paint. Like with scraping you want to make sure not to penetrate into the material below the paint. 
• Make sure the surface is clean. Before you start removing any paint you’ll want to make sure that it is clean either by hand washing or power washing. You don’t want any contaminants to get in the way or make it harder to remove paint. 
• Prep the surrounding surface. Removing paint can be very messy and it’s important to  prep the surrounding area. You can do this with tape, drop cloths and plastic coverings. Also, this will make clean up easier. 
• Clean Up Really Well – after you’re finished removing all the paint, it is imperative that you clean up any paint chips or peelings that come off. You don’t want old paint seeping into the ground. Not only is it unsightly but it can leave chemical traces in the environment (especially if the paint is older). 

Also, you can only remove paint on the exterior during certain times of the year. So it’s important to schedule your exterior paint project in advance in case of inclement weather. The team at CertaPro of Southwest Washington will be happy to help with all your painting needs. Please reach out to them with any questions about this post or to get started on your next project! 

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