Removing paint off tin walls?
I live in am old house with tin/metal walls with designs thoughout most off the house and have decided to paint. I want to remove the years off layers of paint and start them fresh. Can anybody tell me the best way to remove the old paint without ruining the walls or design? Thank You in advance:)
Before you go about any paint removal you should test several areas of the old paint layers for lead. Most hardware stores or paint supply stores will carry lead testing kits. They look like little cigarettes and contain a chemical that reacts to the presence of lead.
After you do that and have taken the necessary procautions if you do find lead (If you do I would call a professional), the best way to remove old paint from a ceiling is to apply a gel paint remover. The thick gel based stuff will better adhere upside down to your tin ceiling. This will make it easy to wipe and scrap away the years of old paint. Before doing so however, you should protect your floors, wear a proper mask to avoid the fumes, wear REALLY good gloves (paint remover will eat away the cheap ones like they are nothing), open all the windows, get a fan going in the room, and seal off the work area from other parts of the house (ie. plastic wrap all open doorways).
But I think this is a lot more work then a ceiling is ever worth. I would just paint over the old paint of your ceiling and just be happy with it. I mean, how often are you going to look up at your ceiling?
Wall-E | Limited Edition Tin Box & T-shirt (R4BR)
