stripping lead based paint

I am using the Citristrip- and it is a gross gooey mess. It certainly does smell like oranges. It quickly melts the top two or three layers of paint, which peel off easily. I haven't had much luck getting through the last couple of layers of paint though- the stuff doesn't "peel" at this point and I'm only managing to smear it around. The grain of the wood is rather raised, so my plastic scraping tool is ineffective.

So, what is it that makes the heat gun "unsafe"?

I'm also trying something called Safest Strip- similar results, but slower.

Use PEEL AWAY I for removal of lead paint. It is safe and will do the job in one application.

progress report- by this time, I have gotten very bored with watching citristrip bubble up the layers of paint. I did get better results after a while by working on smaller sections at a time. But it takes at least 3 repeat applications to get to the wood.

So I went out and got the smallest tub of Peel Away 1 that I could find- a 1 gallon tub. this came with about enough paper stuff to cover one side of a door. Should I expect to cover more area that that with this 1 gallon tub? If so, is there something else to use to peel with when I run out of their paper?

PEEL AWAY will do about twenty sq, ft to a gallon so you have enough cover forf the material you have. the one thing you will have with this product is that it will remove all of the paint in a single applcation

PEEL AWAY will do about twenty sq, ft to a gallon so you have enough cover forf the material you have. the one thing you will have with this product is that it will remove all of the paint in a single applcation

We own an 80 year old house and are strippping the doors too. Citristrip is a waste of time. Only the top two layers or so bubbled up. Peel away works okay as it is not too messy, but it doesn't peel everything away in one "easy to peel strip", also call the company you can use wax paper as the paper strip but it has to be used with shiney side up, I think. Call them because it does matter.

The best product we found was Strip-ez it smells and you must have adequate ventilation but it is a dream. You may want to wear a respirator. Tape off with plastic bags and go to town.

As for heat guns and lead based paint. Lead is a hazard if it is ingested or inhaled as a vapor. Heat guns vaporize the lead and enable you to breathe the fumes. It has a cumulative effect, be very cautious. I don't recommend using a heat gun.

Good Luck with your project! Kath

Do not use wax paper to replace PEEL AWAY paper. You can use freezer paper shiny side out

thanks Ivy.

Here's my report on Peel Away 1. It works and takes the paint off in one shot- but it doesn't "peel away" for me. The paper comes off, and under that is a crusty layer, and under that is a slime layer. The crusty stuff crumbles, and then the slimy stuff is easy to wipe up with a wrung out wet rag. Working a small area at a time is better.

We have a house built in '40 and had to deal with the lead based paint thing.
We contacted our County Health Dept. where we were well instructed on the removal of the paint.
We were told it was alright to use a heat gun as long as we wore the right clothing, completely sealed off the room, and used this special vacuum cleaner that they actually let us borrow free of charge.
The proper clothing consisted of being totally covered and using a HEPA filter face mask. The vacuum cleaner was actually one they used for asbestos clean up but with a different type of filter. My husband ran the vacuum cleaner close to the area while I melted and scraped the paint away. It was much faster and cleaner than using the chemical strippers.

Well, now I have heard everything, I guess. And I have tried everything. I've even tried the heat gun with hepa vacuum, respirator, and all. But I still had a residue to clean up after I used the heat gun because there is a kind of varnish or shellac on the trim under all that paint-- so it was back to the chemicals after that. The only one of these suggestions that didn't really work out was the strip-ez. I never found that product, but I did find one called Strypeeze. It has so many warnings on the lable about fumes that it surely rivals vaporized lead as a health hazzard. I tried it anyway on a sash that I carried outside. It smelled so horrible, and worked exactly like Citristrip- no better.

After all this, I think Citristrip is my preferred method for doors, and sashes which I can remove and lay flat. 3M SafestStrip is my favorite for the remaining trim, because it doesn't ooze/run down on vertical surfaces. It is slow like Peel Away, and needs repeat applications, but I like it better than Peel Away because it isn't going to burn me if it gets on my skin.

I accidently painted latex paint over oil based and we all know what a disaster that was-however I discovered that my mantles were actually mahogany while stipping the whole paint mess off. I did use a heat gun and it does create a gummy mess when the varnish melts, but then I use a product called Tuff Job (Extra strength) and it was incredible. Paint it on (it's thick) and wait a little while. Scrape it off with a paint scraper and then wipe. It is sold at Home Depot and is safe for even fiberglass.

What about TotalStrip paint remover. It's sold for boats, but seems great - no smell, non-toxic and cleans up with water?