apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Have you ever gone to a place that dips furniture to remove paint and old finishes? The guys who worked at the place I frequented in Connecticut seemed a bit dazed and confused. I feared for their health, as the chemicals were really scary. If this Peel Away stuff works, it would be worth every penny.

would this be a good solution to stripping latex paint off of stained wood door frames and moldings?

In my little ole kitchen with 70-year-old cabinets, I sent out the cabinet doors to be stripped, but I absolutely used Peel-Away to strip the parts of the cabinets that aren't doors; the frames, etc., and it was really pretty easy and not too heinous-smelling, but it was still KIND of messy and pretty time, consuming.

Basically, you glop it on as evenly as possible with a cheap bristle brush and apply some of the paper they make, but sometimes the stores will run out of the paper, so you just use wax paper, instead.

Then let it do it's thing overnight and then peel away the wax paper off, and you get the bulk of it.

Sometimes you have to do it more than once, but you'd be surprised how many coats will come of with just one application if you're not too stingy in how you apply it.

I wouldn't use Peel Away on any woodwork that is still installed (ie attached to the wall), only on woodwork that you've removed and are reattaching.

We're in the process of stripping the woodwork in our apartment, and PeelAway (or any other liquid/gel remover) is not my first choice. We're using a heat gun + scraper method. Liquids and gels are MESSY and the gunk often slides over to areas (like walls, floors, etc.) that you don't want to strip or get gunked up.

That said, PeelAway 6 did a great job on some 100-year old textured glass in our transom windows. It took it off in one try. Use a lot of PeelAway, literally apply it 1/4 inch thick, let it sit overnight, but don't let it dry out.

I used the stuff on my kitchen cabinets 4 years ago... you know the kind they painted about 8 times too many and then couldn't close them?

I found if that cheap glossy paint is the top coat you need to leave the stuff on a bit longer then 24 hours... and if I remember right you can leave it on up to 48?

I didn't find it a problem using inside on item attached to the wall. First of all the smell is WAY better than the usual strippers, and second, it's more like frosting than fluid so if you need to cut close to things you don't want to strip you have a little more control. It does take some getting used to though, like anything.

The best part? They have versions you can use on brick so you can erase the horrible error in judgment the last occupants covered the fireplace in.

I've used Peel Away on my HVAC units (which are metal) and it works beautifully -- without all the toxins of other paint strippers. You have to let the compound sit on the paint for about 24 hours, but it's VERY easy to apply and remove. I'm going to use it next on the metal door frames in my apartment next.

Peelaway is only good for certain jobs, like "me" said above. The other methods are 1. heat gun w/scraper, then liquid stripper. 2. straight liquid stripper. For years I used the chemical/nasty strippers, which I hate, and then discovered biodegradeable SOY-based strippers (www.franmar.com is one company), which do not burn your skin, smell great, work like a champ, and best of all - fast. I use painter's blue tape and rosin paper (red, which you get in the paint shop) to cover up areas I don't want stripped (several layers on the floors).

I forgot - the great thing about these strippers is they stay wet for long periods of time. Also, one can use saran wrap or some other plastic to cover the object being stripped, to be left overnight. The results are fantastic.

I have used it extensively. But I only recommend it for things that are not made of wood. It darkens the wood a lot.
I used peel away in the bathroom and kitchen, to remove thirty odd years of paint off the tiles (deemed to cracked and stained by previous tenants) and it worked better than anything I know.
I think the best way is to use a heat gun (with discretion, or else you can burn the wood and still darken it, not in a good way..) and a depot... place sells this product that is called Floor Stripper and it's what we use to remove the final bits of paint after we use the heat gun. It seems to work on all the woods I have (oak, pine) but just be a little less active with the softer woods. Later finish as you like. Also this product has no horrible fumes, it sort of smells like Fantastik.

Has anyone tried RemovAll? Thet frequently use it on This Old House, but it seems really hard to find in stores.

I used this product to strip several layers of paint off the ornate wooden fireplace mantel in my condo- and I did it without suffering fumes while I was working. I liked that the paint seemed to be encapsulated and I didn't have to sand and possibly get lead dust in the air.

I'm using Soy-gel to remove paint from a brick wall with about three layers of paint on it. It is working pretty well on the flat parts of the brick, but it's really hard to get the paint from out of the cracks and crevices in the brick! Has anyone had any luck with this? Would Peel-Away be a better choice?

I am thinking of trying the Peel Away 7 on our sitting room floor. The floorboards have been painted with black paint round the edge of the room. Heat gun has no effect on the paint, neither does normal paint stripper.

Any tip or hints will Peel Away 7 do the job?

Does anyone have advice on how to strip paint from an interior brick wall other than sand blasting? I'm going for an urban whitewashed look. Right now the brick seems to be painted with a thick acrylic paint. Thanks.
Karl

Has anyone ever used this product on plaster? My pre war condo has very nice moldings on the ceiling. The molding is covered in a few layers of paint and much of the detail is in hiding. I'm wondering if it would be worth the effort, any suggestions would be much appreciated.

DO NOT USE PEEL AWAY 1 ON WOODWORK! I just recently tried a bit on a beautiful door casing. It was red oak and anywhere the stripper got the wood darkened and turned black. Also, this crap will melt your skin!

I have used PEEL AWAY 7 on woodwork however and it worked beautifully but it cost 3 times what the Peel Away 1 costs. It is harsh on skin, but nothing like Peel Away 1.

I go back and forth between heat gun/scraper and Peel Away 7. The only bad thing about heat guns is the fumes are very hazardous and a respirator and good ventilation a necessity. The Peel Away is nice because you can glop it on, cover it, walk away and then return to take the bulk of it off quickly.

These chemicals are however very messy and you must protect your walls/floors when using it.

I just something called Pro 1 from rock miracle

"AMAZING" stuff - a little hard to find - i had to place a special order from the paint store

it took it all off in 1 application - and i even got it on my hands - and it did not burn or leave any marks

I must say again "AMAZING STUFF"

I have been involved with peelaway for the past 9 years. There is nothing in the world I would use before a peelaway product to remove any paint or varnish. If tested properly and the right peelaway number is used there is no better finished product or safer choice than peelaway. Peelaway 7 has been developed to remove more latex based coatings and rubbers. That is usually why it is recommended for furniture. However If only oil based paint is used then peelaway 7 will not work its best. Peel away 1 has been developed for more oil based coatings and turns old paint back into oil and sucks it up like a sponge. Thickness is key with peelaway one and occasionaly peelaway 7. At the time of this comment, a BRAND NEW peelaway has been released. Its name is Smart Strip.....or occasionaly found as peelaway 8. AMAZING!. This product has absoultly no smell and you could practically shower in the stuff it is so safe. It is used in place of peelaway 7 and works better in most cases. Again. The peelaway brand of strippers has saved me millions and given my clients the finished product they deserve without damage to substrate. I will use peelaway for the rest of my life! Bye bye cancer causing chemicals. Hello Dumond Chemicals. Thanks Peelaway!

Karl, The choice for brick with Latex or acrylics is Peel Away 7 or the New SmartStrip. SmartStrip is marketed as Peel Away 6 @Lowes. If there is a base coat of oil then Peel Away 1 is the product. Buy Small amounts and do thorough tests.

Dorian, Peel Away strippers work very well on plaster and masonry surfaces. Try some small tests of Peel Away 1 and SmartStrip. I just finished a plaster ceiling with SmartStrip and it worked great.
It does have the tendency to bubble or "tent" the first coat of latex so watch for that on your test. It may take a couple of coats and even minor touchup but it is worth it for the safety factor.

Patricia, Yes, Peel Away ! will darken hardwoods. Its the caustic and water in the stripper that causes this. The door can be bleached back and cleaned to near original with a special method.

Diane. Peel Away 7 is the probably the right stripper for your floor. Put it down about an 1\8th of an inch, cover with the cloth and leave at least over night. If its a hardwood use a solvent like denatured alcohol or laquer thinner to clean up with....

If your reading this and you see that I seem to be answering most of the questions about Peel Away, its because I have worked for them as their senior technical advisor for 19 years. I have gone up against all other competitors and haven't lost yet. There are some companies that are copying our products and some are fairly good. They don't have the covering though. That is our patent. I am now out in the contracting world with my own company, decided to put my experience to work but I still handle special technical duties for Peel Away. My e-mail address is stripman55@aol.com if any of you have further questions. Please put "Peel Away Question" in your subject line and I'll be glad to help you.........."Good Luck All"......Rob

this is the MOST MESSY product. i have to spend 5 times more time cleaning it just like rock miracle i have to spend 10 times more time cleaning it. the best is the HOME DEPOT paste or liquid. no mess evaporates, and very fast.

I have just started using Peel Away 1. The paper goes much quicker than the paste. Where can I find just the paper?

Is there anything other than the Peel Away neutralizer that can be used?

Rob, what Peel Away product would you recommend on exterior red brick to remove latex paint splatter and drips from a recent paint job? There aren't any big areas to strip just random paint splatter here and there. Thanks.

I recently bought an ancient chest of drawers that someone painted with that faux granite/marble in a can stuff (3 dollars - I couldn't refuse). I don't really care if the wood underneath it turns black from the Peel Away...I am just wondering if this product would be good to remove that faux granite/marble texture paint and if not, what would. It also looks like the granite was blown over a glossy mint green paint.

Rock Miracle is an excellent paint stripper but I don't think it's non-toxic. 3M makes a stripper which is fairly human-friendly which I've used on my arts & craft dining table.

Now, if you're looking for a reliable wallpaper remover I recommend a brand called DIF from Zinsser, you don't need a steamer. I purchased 3 products to remove Japanse rice paper wallpaper before I found this one.