# how to remove 2k paint, help wanted



## Jimbo. (Jan 28, 2009)

I have a piece of furniture with a really thick 2k paint all over which I need to remove, the piece is really detailed carving all over so not one piece of it I, flat, nitromors hasn't touched it at all, has anyone removed anything like this before,


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

For a urethane I would use an aircraft stripper. I would use a water wash remover and keep it wet with remover until it disolves the finish all the way down to the wood. You might use a scrub brush or a brass stripping brush to get into the details of the carving. Removers evaporate pretty quickly so you might limit how much of it you strip at one time. When the finish is ready to come off you won't be able to scrape it off like open flat areas. I would use a power washer to remove the residue and finish that was 1500 psi or lower. I and have stripped hundreds of pieces of furniture and it does no damage to the wood, veneer or joints.


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## Jimbo. (Jan 28, 2009)

Steve Neul said:


> For a urethane I would use an aircraft stripper. I would use a water wash remover and keep it wet with remover until it disolves the finish all the way down to the wood. You might use a scrub brush or a brass stripping brush to get into the details of the carving. Removers evaporate pretty quickly so you might limit how much of it you strip at one time. When the finish is ready to come off you won't be able to scrape it off like open flat areas. I would use a power washer to remove the residue and finish that was 1500 psi or lower. I and have stripped hundreds of pieces of furniture and it does no damage to the wood, veneer or joints.


Thanks Steve, I'll try the aircraft stripper tomorrow, its late here now, what do you mean by a water wash remover? And a power washer is just a pressure washer? Thanks for the quick reply,


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Jimbo. said:


> Thanks Steve, I'll try the aircraft stripper tomorrow, its late here now, what do you mean by a water wash remover? And a power washer is just a pressure washer? Thanks for the quick reply,


 Some removers are intended to be rinsed off with solvents like mineral spirits or lacquer thinner where some are water wash. Kleen Strip makes an aircraft remover that is water wash. A water wash remover will do more for removing the original stain then solvent wash removers. I like to bring the wood back as close as I can to the original condition. Yes the power washer is the same as a pressure washer. It will remove the finish out of all the crevices around the carvings where any other method would leave a lot. It's just real important to get every bit of the old finish off when you strip a piece of furniture. Just don't use a pressure washer that is 2000 psi or larger. Some better washers you can adjust the pressure down and that would be fine. I just use a cheap electric walmart pressure washer that is only 1500 psi.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I use "Aircraft Stripper" and use a solvent rinse. I wouldn't use a power washer, as it can damage the wood, loosen joints, tear up previous fixes, raise the grain, and it will blast stripper and its debris everywhere. It can affect concrete, and kill grass, and damage finishes with any cast off stripper.

I don't know of any pressure washer that has an adjustable pressure spray output.


















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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

cabinetman said:


> I use "Aircraft Stripper" and use a solvent rinse. I wouldn't use a power washer, as it can damage the wood, loosen joints, tear up previous fixes, raise the grain, and it will blast stripper and its debris everywhere. It can affect concrete, and kill grass, and damage finishes with any cast off stripper.
> 
> I don't know of any pressure washer that has an adjustable pressure spray output.
> 
> ...


A power washer around 1500 psi won't damage concrete. Unless is old, soft and crumbling. It won't hurt your drive way at worst it will clean it from stains. 

Although it can and will take up grass and make a mess, but it maybe be worth trying. 

As far as adjusting the pressure, you can turn the throttle down on a gas machine. Never used an electric one though


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

BigJoe16 said:


> A power washer around 1500 psi won't damage concrete. Unless is old, soft and crumbling. It won't hurt your drive way at worst it will clean it from stains.
> 
> Although it can and will take up grass and make a mess, but it maybe be worth trying.
> 
> As far as adjusting the pressure, you can turn the throttle down on a gas machine. Never used an electric one though


I have a 3000 PSI washer, and there's no throttle adjustment per se. The pump won't work if the engine is running slow enough to pump at low pressure. Forums are a good format for presenting both sides, pro and con, good and bad, and differences in opinion. Hazardous or unsafe procedures, costly methods, or methods that can waste time, deserve to be discussed. That type of discourse can help one decide what to try or how to proceed.

If you choose to use a power washer, that's your decision, as long as you've been made aware of the risks.


















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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Apply the chemical liberally, wait a few minutes for it to bubble up and use nylon scrapers to remove the chemical. You likely will have to do this several times. Once you get down to bare wood, use saw dust and shavings to scrub the finish off in the carvings and grooves. make sure you use the heavy chemical gloves to do this. The cheap ones will melt in your hands. You could get a good pair for about $20. keep a bucket of clean water and a garden hose handy. This stuff really burns and the water will neutralize it immediately. You can also use lacquer thinner to neutralize it also but that is more for cleaning the surface and not for splashes on your skin. 
I used pressure washers all of the time. Mine were usually 2000 psi. 
This is way too much pressure and used improperly it will scour and ruin the surface of the wood by leaving deep grooves. 
As for pressure washers, there usually are several different spray heads that come with the pressure washer. Use the the one next to the widest spray pattern and it will have much less pressure. Also keep the spray nozzle about a foot or more from the surface. The water will neutralize methylene chloride - the active ingredient in a good stripper. The idea is to just rinse off the stripper and use only a small amount of pressure in the intricate carvings and grooves. Most people are smart enough to figure out how far to be from the wood by just watching what they are doing. 

Another thing to note is that methylene chloride is not very affective in cool weather. The ideal temp for methylene chloride for a really tough job is about 90*F. Keep in mind that the chemical will be about 12 -15 degrees cooler than the ambient temp. If you put a small bucket with chemical in a larger bucket with warm water - not hot you should be fine. Methylene Chloride strippers boil at about 104 -105*F chemical temp.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> I wouldn't use a power washer, as it can damage the wood, loosen joints, tear up previous fixes, raise the grain, and it will blast stripper and its debris everywhere. It can affect concrete, and kill grass, and damage finishes with any cast off stripper.
> 
> I don't know of any pressure washer that has an adjustable pressure spray output.
> 
> ...


That only happens in your imagination. In real life no damage occurs. Not even the subsistence farmers I had working for me that probably had never seen a power washer damaged the furniture.

You just don't know power washers. Many have the ability to adjustable the pressure.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Steve Neul said:


> That only happens in your imagination. In real life no damage occurs.


 

I just know better.




Steve Neul said:


> Not even the subsistence farmers I had working for me that probably had never seen a power washer damaged the furniture.


Now there's a story that should make it all true.:laughing:




Steve Neul said:


> You just don't know power washers. Many have the ability to adjustable the pressure.


I've had a few, and have a 3000 PSI now. Maybe you can post some that have adjustable pressure.


















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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> I just know better.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You just think you know better. I can remember stripping the contents of a 10,000 sf warehouse with antique tables and chairs stacked two and three high which half were veneered. I had an assembly line going where I had illegal aliens stripping and sanding furniture where all I had to do is spray a clear finish. Since I couldn’t speak the language I couldn’t give them any special training which there was none I could give anyway. The furniture was all stripped with a flow over system and rinsed with a low powered power washer. The low pressure is the only determining factor in not damaging the furniture. It took us a couple of years to refinish this furniture and over that time had many different people working. If these guys can strip all that furniture and not damage any of it then anyone should. 

I use a cheap electric power washer that is 1500 psi. It won’t damage furniture. Many larger units like this one have a control knob where you can adjust the pressure down so you can wash the dirt off your house or fence without damaging it.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Steve Neul said:


> You just think you know better. I can remember stripping the contents of a 10,000 sf warehouse with antique tables and chairs stacked two and three high which half were veneered. I had an assembly line going where I had illegal aliens stripping and sanding furniture where all I had to do is spray a clear finish. Since I couldn’t speak the language I couldn’t give them any special training which there was none I could give anyway. The furniture was all stripped with a flow over system and rinsed with a low powered power washer. The low pressure is the only determining factor in not damaging the furniture. It took us a couple of years to refinish this furniture and over that time had many different people working. If these guys can strip all that furniture and not damage any of it then anyone should.


Another great story. Illegal aliens. 




Steve Neul said:


> Many larger units like this one have a control knob where you can adjust the pressure down so you can wash the dirt off your house or fence without damaging it.


I haven't seen one with that adjustment. I may be interested in one. Post one with the specs showing it has pressure adjustment. Thanks.


















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## Jimbo. (Jan 28, 2009)

Ok everyone break it up, break it up! Lets keep it friendly! ;-) Thanks everyone for the info, I'm now putting the aircraft stripper on, getting through the top coat but the primer is being stubborn, I'll leave it for a while to soften up,


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Jimbo. said:


> Ok everyone break it up, break it up! Lets keep it friendly! ;-) Thanks everyone for the info, I'm now putting the aircraft stripper on, getting through the top coat but the primer is being stubborn, I'll leave it for a while to soften up,


 The argument just goes with talking about stripping furniture here. It's an ongoing thing so don't pay any attention to it. 

Stripping paint is always a pain. It seems to come off one layer at a time regardless of the chemicals or equipment you use. It was like that when I had a flow over system that had a pump that would pump a more liquid remover out the center of a scrub brush. You just have to keep it wet with the remover and let it do it's thing.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> Another great story. Illegal aliens.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The illegal alien story is a rerun. You either got it last year or the year before. 

I found the picture on google images. It took 15 minutes for the picture to load. I don't think I could get the accompaning web page for specifications. You have better internet than I do. Maybe you could find it.


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

Steve Neul said:


> The illegal alien story is a rerun. You either got it last year or the year before.
> 
> I found the picture on google images. It took 15 minutes for the picture to load. I don't think I could get the accompaning web page for specifications. You have better internet than I do. Maybe you could find it.


 





 

A simple google search of 'power washer pressure adjustment' would have educated him...

You were correct here in ALL ways Steve. :yes:


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