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Unpopular opinion: I think the old-school method of stripping with a heat gun and scraper is actually faster than chemical strippers for most pieces.
I had a stubborn 1940s dresser with eight layers of paint, so I tried a Wagner heat gun on a low setting and a 2-inch carbide scraper, and it took me 3 hours versus the 2 days of waiting and scraping I usually spend with methylene chloride.
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umaanderson6mo ago
Ever think about the fumes? With a heat gun you're just dealing with hot air, but chemical strippers leave that nasty smell in your garage for days. Plus, you can see exactly what you've stripped with a heat gun, no guessing if you missed a spot under some gel. It feels more controlled, like you're actually removing the paint instead of just softening it up for another round of work. Once you get the hang of the right angle and temperature, it's just scrape and move on, no waiting around.
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ericb666mo ago
Totally agree, it's a game changer for thick paint. I had a door with like six coats of lead paint and the heat gun just melted it off in sheets. Chemical strippers always left a gummy mess that needed so much extra sanding. The heat gun feels slower at first but you're actually done way sooner without all the cleanup.
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