How many types of paint strippers are there in the market? Uncountable!
Various products on the market may make you confused a lot in choosing and purchasing. But now you’re in the right place, so don’t worry about it anymore!
We will reveal and recommend the top 5 best paint strippers on the market based on user reviews. Let’s take a closer look now!
Related:
Top 5 Best Paint Strippers (2024 Updated)
#1. Dumond Chemicals, Inc. 3332 Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover- Best For Health Protection
Many users in stripping paint fear that substances from removers will harm health when touching. Especially the chemical scent is not pleasant at all.
However, we believe this product from Dumond Chemicals will make you feel completely secure about using it!
This stripper’s outstanding is biodegradable. As its ingredients are measured in standard dosages, it won’t harm your skin when touch or use.
Moreover, Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover has been modified to be odorless, the element that may be appreciated by everyone. You know, nobody likes the strong smell of paint removers!
According to the manufacturer, this product can be used for many paint surfaces such as lead-based paint, marine paint, etc. And that has also been verified and confirmed by consumers.
One more advantage is this paint stripper can be used to remove thickly painted surfaces, and the maximum thickness is up to 15 coats.
Nevertheless, the disadvantage of this product is its relatively long operating time. To remove all paint from objects, you need to let it stand for about twenty-four hours with remover coating before starting to strip.
Pros
- Safety to use
- Non-toxic, gentle and odorless
- Can be used for different paints
- Suitable for home use
Cons
- Long operation time
- Not at low price
#2 Citristrip QCSG801 Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel – Best For Budget
What’s the best paint remover for wood? Citristrip QCSG801 Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel can be one of the answers to this question!
This remover works well in stripping many types of painted surfaces, and it will give you a fantastic result.
Instead of having a chemical smell, this product smells of citrus, which makes many users feel secure and satisfied to use. However, if you prefer a fragrance-free product, don’t worry, it won’t be too intense!
With a gel texture similar to yogurt, this product works well for twenty-four hours. That means it will continuously work and penetrate the underlying paint, which allows you to remove thick coats.
Citristrip QCSG801 Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel can be the best paint remover for metal, wood, and masonry as it works well on these materials.
When you use this product indoors, remember to open the door or do something for increasing ventilation. Because this product will release a fume when operating, and if in a stuffy room, it can cause poisoning.
Wear a pair of butyl rubber gloves to make it safer because standard latex gloves are not suitable for skin protection when using this product.
Pros
- Works effectively with thick coats
- Suitable for wood, metal, masonry
- Be active for twenty-four hours
- Citrus smell
- Reasonable price
Cons
- Ventilation and skin protection are required.
#3. Dumond Chemicals, Inc. 3301 Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover – Best For Indoor Use
This is another safety product from the Dumond Chemicals brand. Being in the same product line – Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover, Inc. 3301 has many advantages similar to Inc. 3332.
The outstanding advantages this product line always has are odorless, no chemicals such as methylene chloride, which are harmful for skin, and don’t release fume when coated to the paint.
For rough surfaces such as carved or cast surfaces, Dumond Chemicals Inc. 3301 Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover works exceptionally well thanks to its permeability and effective removal.
The paste texture of this product will allow you to use different tools like roller, brush, etc. to spread and apply it.
You are seeking the best paint stripper for wood, best paint stripper for metal, or your furniture? Don’t forget to consider Dumond Chemicals, Inc. 3301 Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover!
For better results, you need to apply multiple stripper layers, which is quite costly.
Pros
- Odorless and non-toxic
- Suitable for home use
- Can be used for many materials
Cons
- Long activation time
- Need to apply many coat
#4. MAX Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper – Best Of Value
In the mid-range segment at a reasonable price, MAX Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper works as effectively as products with a higher price than it.
It works well on a variety of materials, which help you remove thick paint without damaging the surface. Notwithstanding, it is contraindicated for plastic material. There is a possibility that chemicals may destroy this material.
This product is especially odorless, and the ingredients are also harmless to the skin. You can be assured when you use it because MAX Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper is relatively safe for health.
As it doesn’t release toxic fumes, ventilation is not required in this case. Furthermore, this remover is incredibly suitable for indoor use based on its special features.
Is it the best paint stripper for wood or the best paint stripper for metal? It is both!
One thing we should notice is despite being introduced as a gel; the texture of this stripper is quite thin and dilute. When you use it, it’s likely to runny and flows to another place. Therefore, users should pay more attention and be careful when removing paint by this stripper.
Pros
- Suitable for many materials
- Odorless and harmless
- Affordable price
Cons
- Thin and dilute
- Can’t be used for plastic
#5. Motsenbocker’s Lift Off 41301 22-Ounce Latex Paint Remover Spray – Best For Different Materials
This product line is manufactured in the United States. For that reason, its quality is appreciated by users.
It’s specially formulated and works exceptionally well for Latex paint lines. Besides, acrylics and stencil paints also be removed quickly with this stripper.
The most valuable point of Motsenbocker’s Lift Off 41301 22-Ounce Latex Paint Remover Spray is its versatility. You can use it on the surface of many materials: carpet, fiberglass, brick, etc.
Its flexibility is proved again when you can use a brush, sprayer, or roller to spread the stripper on the surface.
Motsenbocker’s Lift Off stripper has a surprisingly fast activation time. For example, with canvas material, you only need to spend about thirty minutes to one hour to peel the paint off.
Despite its exceptional features, you will need to use force and take relatively time to scrape and scrub all the paint.
Pros
- Suitable for different materials
- Best for Latex Paint
- Reasonable price
- Can apply on sprayer, roller, scraper
Cons
- Need time and force to remove
Buying Guide
Safety Factors
Safety factor for health is the prerequisite that you need to pay attention to. As paint stripper is a chemical compound with high detergent capacity, so the dangerous thing that can happen to you is unforeseen.
To ensure health safety, you should equip yourself with protective equipment first. Protection glasses, masks, and gloves will be essential.
Also, consider the type of paint removers you use to buying gloves. Some strong chemicals can corrode some common types of gloves such as Latex, Silicone, etc..
Next, read the manufacturer’s manual carefully. Some types of strippers will have special requirements such as need high ventilation, need dilution, need 24 hours to operate, and so on. Then, do as you are guided!
The Surface And Materials
“What’s the best paint stripper for aluminum”, “The best paint stripper for plastic is?” “I want to find the best paint stripper for wood”, etc. Ask yourself as well as the sellers the same questions and learn more about them to determine the right paint strippers for your materials.
Consider the surface of the material you are about to remove. As the best paint stripper for brick may not be the best paint stripper for concrete or best paint stripper for plastic.
If you choose a paint stripper that doesn’t suit materials, there are two possibilities. One of them is your remover can’t remove paint from that material. And another one is that the chemical ingredients in paint are too strong, which destroys the material you want to remove paint.
Therefore, contemplate carefully the materials that you will remove paint to ensure you will purchase the suitable stripper and not to spend money and only get worse!
Paint Thickness
Many paint removers work well with thick layers of paint while others don’t. If you’re lucky and choose the right paint, that’s great! But if you purchase a stripper that is too weak and can’t remove your thick paint, you will have to spend a lot of time striping or scraping them.
Learn more about them by consulting users and considering this article!
How to Choose the Right Paint Stripper
There are three categories at which paint strippers fall into namely, solvent, caustic, and biochemical
Caustic paint strippers
Caustic paint strippers, which are water-based, have a pH of 13 to 14. These contain lye as an active ingredient, which could be caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) or caustic soda (sodium hydroxide).
The paint coat is loosened from the surface as the lye reacts with the oil component of the paint, turning it into soap. This type of stripper can cause lung irritation as well as skin burns.
Solvent strippers
Solvent strippers work on removing paint by either softening or dissolving the bond existing between the substrate and the paint film. This leads the paint coat to bubble up.
Methylene chloride is a prevalent solvent used as a paint stripper but there are others used such as toluene, acetone, and ketone. Methylene chloride strippers are effective but the health hazards they pose are more extreme than caustic strippers are.
Biochemical strippers
Biochemical strippers contain plant-derived solvents. These may contain terpenes, which are derived from pine or citrus; dimethyl-sulfoxide derived from wood pulp; lactic acid derived from corn sugar; soy oil; and citric acid. Some of these solvents have the capacity to induce skin irritation.
How to Strip Paint Without Chemicals?
Aside from chemical paint strippers, there are other options for you to remove the current coat on the surface that you will be painting anew.
Heat
Heat can also be used to remove paint. You can use a torch, heat gun, or a low-intensity infrared heating system.
The use of open flame such as with a torch is hazardous, which means that this stripper should be avoided.
Using a heat gun, on the other hand, also has its risks. The fumes that it produces is toxic and it can also cause a fire.
The safest option among these is the low-intensity infrared heater since it produces low heat only.
When planning to use heat as a means to strip paint, consider the EPA standards since certain paint formulas, when heated, give off toxic fumes.
Sanding
Sanding is also another option for paint stripping. This can be done by hand or with a power sander.
This technique quickly removes the old coating through grinding the surface and its finish. When working with wood, sanding can remove some of it such as its intricate carved designs. For some surfaces, especially those with engraved details, sanding can be done as a preliminary method of removing paint, which is completed using paint strippers.
Power washing
Power washing is another option for removing paint, especially for the exteriors of a building. Spraying at high-pressure rates is effective in stripping paint from stone, wood, bricks, and concrete. However, for those who are not familiar with the strength of using a power washer, damage to the surface being stripped, most commonly wood, comes as a result.
Tips in Stripping Paint
- When using ready-made paint strippers, the first thing to do is read the label. The label will contain all the vital information such as the precautions you should take, preparation requirements such as shaking or stirring the stripper before use, length of time to let the stripper on the surface, and many others.
- Whichever stripper you plan to use, it is important to safeguard your health by wearing protective wear. Cover your skin, wear respirators that will shield you from solvent fumes, wear safety glasses, and gloves.
- It is also important to keep the area well-ventilated so that the fumes from the process can escape. If you will be stripping removable accessories such as cabinet doors, it is best to take them outside from stripping. If the stripping cannot be brought outside, comply with the OSHA standard exposure limit. The air in the room must change from 7 up to 10 times every hour by using a fan that will carry the vapors outside the window.
- The application of strippers can be done with the use of a brush, spray bottle, roller, or sprayer. The appropriate applicator will depend on the stripper’s consistency and the size of the surface to be stripped.
- Leave enough time for the paint stripper to do its work. The length of time that you have to let is stay is indicated in the label. Once the time is up, start scraping the goo into a container. You can use a drywall knife to do this. Toothpicks can be used to remove those in areas that cannot be scraped by a knife.
- The last step is to neutralize and wash the surface after all the old paint coat is removed. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for this procedure. After this, give sufficient time for the surface to air and heat dry prior to executing further surface preparations and painting a new coat.
FAQs
How Do You Strip Paint Quickly?
If in order, removing paint by sanding and heating will be faster than stripping by chemicals. Nevertheless, with the chemical stripping method, we have some notes for you:
- Choosing strippers which activate fast
- Cleaning the surface of the paint to remove dirt and plaque
- Choose the suitable scrapers to remove paint after being coated stripper
What Is The Best Way To Remove Paint?
There are three most common ways to remove the paint you can choose: stripping with chemicals, burning with heat, and sanding.
Sanding is a highly prized option if your material surface is flat and not rough. This method will require you to use a lot of force to get rid of the paint, which is challenging but relatively fast.
How about removing paint on rough surfaces that have many nooks and crannies? Chemical strippers will do it! Strippers will easily clean up more rough surfaces, but it will take a while for the chemicals to soak and peel off the paint.
Burning with heat is a method that will require you to equip a heat gun to heat into the paint directly and peel it off. This method can only be used with certain types of materials such as metal, wood, etc. and not recommended for materials that are prone to melting due to heat.
Which way is the best? The answer depends on the type and surface of your materials.
Is It Better To Sand Or Strip Furniture?
Stripping is more appreciated because it will save your energy and minimize paint dust compared to sanding.
Furthermore, removing paints by strippers will limit scratching the surface and can be applied to many materials.
How Do You Remove Paint From Wood Furniture?
Because removing paint with a heat gun can cause a fire, we will introduce you the necessary steps to remove paint with strippers.
First, read the user manual and the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, then pour the stripper into the container.
Next, cover the paint by a stripper coat, and you can scatch the stripper evenly with a brush. You have to leave it at least one hour to twenty-four hours or more depending on your stripper type.
And the last step is after a while, you can use the scraper to remove the paint easily.
How To Remove Paint From Metal?
Similar to removing paint on wood furniture, removing paint on metal also includes the above necessary steps. The only difference is that you need to choose the other strippers which are proper for your materials.
To Sum Up
Keep in mind that you should choose the best paint stripper based on safety factors, surfaces and materials, and the paint thickness.
If you need an odorless and suitable stripper for home use, consider products from Dumond Chemicals like Inc. 3332 and Inc. 3301.
In case you need paint stripper with fast activation time, Motsenbocker’s Lift Off 41301 22-Ounce Latex Paint Remover Spray and MAX Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper are worth trying.
Last but not least, read our article carefully to have more helpful information.
Further reading
How to Remove Paint with Chemical Strippers
The Dangers of Chemical Paint Removers
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