Au naturale stripper. If you're planning on adding some color to your nursery or kid's room - repainting some old furniture, for example - you might need to remove paint or varnish first. Traditional solvents carry a strong, lingering odor - strong enough that they're best used outdoors so the fumes can disperse. And don't even get us started on the the knee and back pain of using sandpaper or sanders. We spotted Soy Gel on the web and are waiting for a project to give it a try. Made from soy beans, it is nontoxic, biodegradable and nearly odor-free, making it safe for indoor use - great news for apartment dwellers without outdoor space. Because it's a gel, you can apply it to vertical spaces (fireplaces, furniture) and it stays in place instead of running off as a liquid would.
posted originally from: AT:Nursery
As stated on my blog, you can find Soy Gel at Ace Hardware as well as on Amazon, and directly from the manufacturer's web site. I've used it for years. It's great stuff. http://materialicio.us/2007/03/18/paint-removal-made-easy/
view Justin (the first one)'s profile
this may be a stupid question, but does this remove oil based paint? my landlord painted all our trim with a dingy brown oil based paint and i do not like the idea of sanding all that off just to paint it white.
view elizabeth in AL's profile
Their tech specs sheet does not list oil paint as one of the finishes that Soy Gel removes, so I'd assume it doesn't.
http://www.franmar.com/soygel_data.html
According to their Material Safety Data Sheet, the active ingredient is N-methyl pyrrolidone, which is the active ingredient in various "alternate" strippers. Note that the MSDS calls for using gloves and goggles, despite the testimonials on their site about working with bare hands.
A typical factsheet for N-methyl pyrrolidone does not have it working on oil-based paint either.
You may want to be aware that N-methyl pyrrolidone is not non-toxic, just LESS toxic than the alternatives. It can irritate skin and eyes, and according to scorecard.org, it's a blood, kidney, neuro-, and reproductive toxin in large amounts. (You wouldn't necessarily get this exposure from stripping one piece of furniture, but don't treat it like peanut butter!)
view wende in phoenix's profile
I just stripped a pair of French Louis XVI chairs from the late 1800's with this stuff. Worked like a dream. I did still have to sand just slightly (20-30 minutes on the whole chair), but they'll be amazing when I finish them. Can't recommend this product enough. Did it with ease in my small NYC 1 bedroom.
view Garrett's profile
I haven't done it for years BUT: What about using a heat gun? it's a lot faster than stripper. Those lead paint removal pamphlets they hand out say that it's safer (lead wise) than sanding or scraping. It is fume-y though, which can never be healthy.
Does anyone have experience or advice on this?
view Eliza's profile
oh - i emailed them and it does work on oil based paint
view elizabeth in AL's profile
Yes, it works on oil paint just fine.
You have to be very careful with the heat gun, not to burn the wood, and have plenty of ventilation. A friend once suffered lead poisoning when she used a heat gun on bad paint in a stuffy room. Liquid stripping is safest for lead paint removal.
Sanding is not necessary if you use the stripper to get all the way down to the wood. I personally would leave the stripping of antiques to the pros, by the way...... all value is lost when you sand.
view Justin (the first one)'s profile