Removing Years Of Paint

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kharlan07

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Hi,
My name is Kim and im 20 years old from Texas-new to the forum...I have always wanted to remodel or flip (as seen on tv) houses my whole life...well my mom had a rent house and is tired of renting it out and wants to fix up and sell....she left the project up to me since this is what ive always wanted to do-btw...my first flip...:D I jumped right in and tore out some floors and really love doing it just as I thought. This is an older house-Neal Armstrong the astronaut actually had it built...anyhow...the kitchen cabinets has about 100 layers of paint on them-there is wood under there some where and im wanting to see it...they are in pretty good condition and I just could invision such a pretty kitchen if the paint was gone and it was stained a walnut or cherry varnish...My question finally is....is there any gooood kind of chemicals that could get this paint gone instead of sanding??? I tried sanding today with a really course sand paper...(paint striping) but all im getting is striped cabinets with all different colors...hehe. Then i tried paint thinner-(not sure what brand or anything just had some still in the house and thought why not give it a try)--well the cabinets didnt change a color a bit... Please help!
 
Yes, you can purchase chemical stripper. It'll be at your local home store, in the paint aisle. Paint it on, wait for it to bubble, then scrape it off. A few notes for you, since I just finished doing this to a window and two cabinets:

1) First, this is nasty stuff. Have plenty of ventilation. If the old paint contains lead (and it probably does), take extra precautions, especially when sanding. Definitely wear a mask with a suitable rating.

2) When stripping, strip over a thick plastic tarp and wear good gloves. It's very messy, and you'll want to have easy cleanup when you're done.

3) Get metal scrapers that have curves. It's the only way to get in there. Flat areas are easier than curves and decorations, so hopefully your cabinets are plain.

4) If you have a lot of paint on them, expect to have to do this in several passes.

5) You'll still have to do a lot of sanding. The paint gets into the grain, and it takes a lot to get it out. Plus, you have to sand between layers of stain and poly. You'll have to pre-stain, then stain (1-2 coats), then poly (2-4 coats). A lot of work.

Honestly, if you're flipping, this is NOT worth the effort. Flipping is about getting the most bang for your buck. You'd be better off getting new cabinets from IKEA, or painting the ones you have.

If you REALLY want to strip, consider hiring a pro. Really. Some (definitely not all) professional painters are set up to do this, and it will probably be worth it given how much time this takes.
 
thanks ciera for all the information-im kinda thinkin maybe i should just repaint over them again considering time and like you said a professional might be best for this kinda job which i dont have the money to put into that at this moment...but again thanks for your time it is greatly appreciated and im sure that information will be helpful in my future flips.
 
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