Be sure to remove any caulk where the siding overlaps as old houses need to breathe.
Best way to remove old paint from wood siding.
Several companies make dedicated paint removing power tools.
Always sand with the grain of the wood.
The silent paint remover heats to a maximum temperature of only 500 f well below wood s immolation point.
Sand the cedar surface lightly with medium grit sandpaper 190 to 265 grit to remove small remaining paint spots.
The more brittle easier paint can be lifted up scraped chipped away.
Whatever tool you use careful not gouging surface underneath.
Palm sanders are best for smoothing out wood that is marred and scraped from hand scraping or improper power tool use.
Once exterior siding thoroughly dried paint will be much easier to scrape off being much more brittle.
To help you decide what approach to take we ve laid out options below.
You can strip siding with grinders and scrapers or you can use chemicals to dissolve the paint but the fastest and easiest way to remove the paint is to use an infrared heat paint stripper.
Sandpaper and power sanders provide another quick way to remove old paint from wood.
Because of the amount of dust generated when sanding to remove paint wear safety goggles and a face mask.
Definitely not a do it yourself project sandblasting does remove paint but it s also very effective at removing wood.
There are a handful of different products to choose from for each of these methods.
Saturate all of the siding completely avoiding windows.
Spray the painted wood siding thoroughly using a ladder to reach high areas if needed.
If you choose to go with this option be aware that sandblasting will bring up the grain in your wood so that it has a very rough grooved appearance.
However with a rough grit sandpaper they can also remove peeling and flaking paint.
Strip the old paint go to our paint stripping page we decided to strip the paint to give us the best chance of producing the longest lasting paint job.
If you apply by brush or roller work carefully and.
Pull out loose nails and renail using stainless steel siding nails.
Rinse the cedar surface in clean water to remove dust from the sandpaper as well as any remaining paint stripper.
It s an efficient method for flat surfaces but must be done carefully to avoid wood damage.
Hold it over an area for 20 to 30 seconds give it a quick scrape and all the paint layers come off down to the bare wood.