Help with decreasing time to sand/strip heart pine wall/floors

[Unknown craftsman]

If I were in the op's shoes I just stop by the Borg and pick up a couple guys that need work.And keep them stocked up with sanding pads.

Also feed them and keep them hydrated they'll have done in no time.

 

Aj

[Jwalkerrt]

Update 

OK we bought some chemical stripper, globbed it on and sat for 20 minutes and it barely touched it. It took 2 applications for 20 minutes just to scrape a single piece of trim so this is definitely not run way to go. This is especially true since we can only do a small area at a time due to the fumes. 

We tested the varnish and no lead that we can see. 

The owner who we are purchasing the house from suggested something that went off like a light bulb in my head. 

He said, "ya know, some people use crushed Walnut shells to blast paint off with, I wonder if that would do the trick" 

So I went to researching this and I came up with two potentially huge time saving options that I could potentially use at the same time. 

There is a dual tank blaster that can house not only crushed Walnut shells but a less abrasive soda blaster option which is basically baking soda. 

I found YouTube videos that blew my mind when it came to removing varnish or paint. This would also be a good investment since we always planned to remove the exterior paint also so that a fresh, angle layer of the paint color we want can be applied. This would save a ton of money so that the painters can just show up and paint rather than strip it also. 

So for around $300 including shipping, I can get one of these and simply borrow my dad's air compressor 

 

Has anyone used such a device? 

 

 

[Unknown craftsman]

I'd rather hold a rat by his back and have him scrape the finish with his teeth.

Blasting off the finish is so messy and loud.

Plus the surface you'll create will probably need sanding.Unless you like the texture it leaves.

Aj

[BonPacific]

Sandblasting is going to remove a lot of the soft-rings along with the paint. Effectively you'll have etched wood. So as long as you like that kind of surface sure. Personally I don't, and wouldn't want to deal with the dust and medium that is going to get ground into everything.

Edit:

I know I said it before, but just buy yourself the $50 belt sander and a package of belts. You'll be done in one long day.

[AceHoleInOne]

Really the stripper didn't do much for ya? The first application is the toughest. Perhaps you're leaving the stripper on the surface to long. The gel is to slow the evaporation and keep the MC on the surface somewhat longer. If you wait to long before removing the stripper the stripper chemicals will flash off and the old finish begins to gets hard again. Nobody said this would be an easy job, there is no magic bullet, it's work man...no matter what approach you take. 

My experience is 2 to 3 repeat applications typically is what it takes. The stripper route leaves you with the best results without removing wood. 

 

Another thing to keep in mind is to work manageable areas or you'll be chasing your tail.  

 

-Ace-

[wdwerker]

Could be the stripper needs to sit longer in able to penetrate into the paint ? Lots of the less toxic strippers work slower.

[Jwalkerrt]

Supposedly soda blasting is very soft and not like your typical sand blasting. Walnut shells are ground to a fine powder not granules like you'd use for rust or cars. The YouTube videos show it being used on 100 year old furniture. 

As far as the stripper, we are gonna  be using it on the rest of the trim that still has the lead paint on it so maybe we will cut the time down to see if that works. 

To be honest, I don't care about the patina. We are gonna be using a 2 part bleach to lighten the wood and doing a bluewash technique on the wood anyways. 

I know it's a lot of work but if we can find a faster way, we are gonna keep trying to find it. We have until the end of this until we actually move into the house and we know we won't be anywhere near done, to be able to get most of the dirty stuff done prior to moving in would be optimal. 

 

I mean, we have 10ft high walls plus the ceilings in 3 rooms averaging 120sqft downstairs and 3 rooms upstairs that need the exact same thing done to them. This is a years long process and we get that and are completely ok with it. 

[AceHoleInOne]

I went back and re-read your opening post. You're using a citrus strpper?????? That stuff is garbage! Use a good stripper containing Methylene Chloride.

 

-Ace- 

[wdwerker]

If you consider the Methylene Chloride read all the warnings and precautions nessacary. Protective gear and plenty of ventilation plus careful handling of the residue is smart even if you are using the citrus based stuff. Remember the waste contains lead.

[Tpt life]

4 hours ago, Jwalkerrt said:

Supposedly soda blasting is very soft and not like your typical sand blasting. Walnut shells are ground to a fine powder not granules like you'd use for rust or cars. The YouTube videos show it being used on 100 year old furniture. 

Any blasting is problematic. You will need to sand after to remove the unevenness. The soft fiber will always disappear faster. A sander's pad is supposed to help stay in plane so that it abrades the higher hard grain more after some soft wears down. Pine is notorious for having a large difference between soft and hard grain. Was the furniture pine? Blasting followed by sanding may be the fastest option. Just know that there will likely still be sanding. 

Another thought. Your $300 is just the tooling. The blasting media will also cost you. You may want to try to pre-figure that cost. 

[Coop]

OP, you mentioned tongue and groove; how are you sanding the groove, regardless of how wide/deep it might be? I think the blaster would be the answer, especially if you can do it with baking soda. Or maybe give Ace's stripper a shot first, although I've never met Ace's stripper

[wtnhighlander]

Don't forget about cleanup of the blasting media and residue! There is an outfit that has been doing cleanup jobs at the steel mill I work in. They use a frozen CO2 blasting method, that leaves no media to cleanup, because it evaporates. There is still the varnish residue, but the volume is far smaller.

[Jwalkerrt]

Thanks for all the help everyone! It's really appreciated and I'm taking everything into consideration. 

 

As far as the stripper, no the citristrip was for the original attempt at getting the lead paint off of the trim. For the actual varnish, we used Klean strip premium stripper which is the harsh stuff. The fumes are quite nasty once I took the respirator off even outside. 

The tongue and groove are actually quite flush from the front. But there are creases and uneven aspects of them that are an absolute pain to sand. Actually they are some of the most payor intensive part of the process.  If you go to our website/blog and scroll towards the bottom of the page, you can see how flush they are http://www.jeremyandsomersforeverhome.com

Oh, yea I knew I'd be sanding even once the blasting occurred. The main issue is the thick, gummy varnish along with all the resin from the heart pine. On a 5x8 piece of the wall, I will go through at least  10 to 15 sanding discs. 

As for the cost, yea I didn't factor in the media and another setback is that for the smaller blasting units, you still need a very large air compressor. I guess that's where many make the mistake and the media barely comes out. So we are talking a  compresser that can keep a 10cfm at 150psi which is a lot larger than my dad's compressor. I'd have to rent one and they are around $260/week which sucks. 

I'm gonna give the belt sander another go around and get some 30 or 40 grit instead of 80 and see how it goes before sinking that kind of money. 

Thanks again! 

 

[Alan G]

This should be a bit easier to hold onto the wall than a belt sander and looks to have some dust collection. Reading reviews it seems people use it for similar projects as yours. And its cheap! No matter the method you are going to have to put in some long days.

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWE6401DS-5-Inch-Sander-Shroud/dp/B007KZB2GE

[Jwalkerrt]

17 minutes ago, Mike. said:

you are doing a colored wash, correct? 

You really don't need to go to bare wood. Scuff sand, clean with Trisodium Phosphate, wipe with clean water, let dry. Then try your color.  Those glazes/wash looks are basically thinned paint.  The pigment will go over an old finish. 

 

Whoa that would be awesome! I'm worried about the natural color of the wood though. It has such a red tint, we were thinking we would need to bleach the wood to get the red out first before applying it

[AceHoleInOne]

13 hours ago, K Cooper said:

OP, you mentioned tongue and groove; how are you sanding the groove, regardless of how wide/deep it might be? I think the blaster would be the answer, especially if you can do it with baking soda. Or maybe give Ace's stripper a shot first, although I've never met Ace's stripper

Hey Coop, my stripper is old like me and been sitting in the can for so long. My speed these days is the slow moving Citrus stripper. The good strippers are more hot and contain MC.That's a young guys game. My stripper days are over, shoulders can't take it no more with that back and forth scrubbing action.

[wdwerker]

Have you tried using a sanding belt cleaner stick? It's a crepe rubber block that you rub against the abrasive to remove the built up paint/varnish/resin etc. it works on sanding discs too.  You could rig up something to clamp or hold the crepe rubber block still to make it easier to hold the sander with both hands. If you clean often the abrasive lasts a lot longer.

Most woodworking supply places sell these.  Rockler, Woodcraft, Peachtree ,even Sears and maybe Walmart .  A 2"x 2"X 11 7/8" block is about $11 or so.

[Jwalkerrt]

21 hours ago, wdwerker said:

Have you tried using a sanding belt cleaner stick? It's a crepe rubber block that you rub against the abrasive to remove the built up paint/varnish/resin etc. it works on sanding discs too.  You could rig up something to clamp or hold the crepe rubber block still to make it easier to hold the sander with both hands. If you clean often the abrasive lasts a lot longer.

Most woodworking supply places sell these.  Rockler, Woodcraft, Peachtree ,even Sears and maybe Walmart .  A 2"x 2"X 11 7/8" block is about $11 or so.

Wow never heard of such a thing and walmart does in fact have them. We will pick one up this weekend and I'll give it a try tomorrow. Thanks! 

[Alan G]

If you have a Harbor Freight nearby they stock them. One of those super cheap items that store is good for.