stripping old paint from cedar siding

[acsipresident]

Hello All,

I've been stripping, cleaning and sealing decks for a bit but now I've been asked to consider taking on a job I haven't done before. The only reason I'm considering this is that it is a long time friend of mine and if I can save him a few bucks by doing it for him I will. He has an older home (built in 50's) that has several layers of paint that is pealing. Underneath is some nice cedar. Now I haven't tested for lead yet but I'm going to assume the earlier layers contain some. I will test for this. Regardless, I'm looking for some experienced advice here. I'd like to have some recommendations as to what product/products to use to remove this paint. There are various powertools that can be used for removing this but "dust" is certain a concern if there is lead. Has anybody used chemical strippers? Any other ideas. I know that the deck strippers won't cut it. Are there any decent methods that you've used in the past?

Thanks a bunch in advance.

 

[5 Star Johnny]

Check out abrp.com and look for peel & strip. It is not inexpensive product, but will allow you to contain the paint with no dust. You will still have to figure out how to dispose of properly. Good Luck!

 

[acsipresident]

Thank you for the suggestion 5 Star Johnny. By any chance have you used the product and have any tales to tell? Every technique for doing such as I described has it's problem areas and although it's easy to prepare for the worst, it would be very advantageous to hear about the challenges, tricks etc from those that have done this before.