Why heat gun?
Heat gunning can offer significant advantages in the paint stripping process. You can remove most of the old paint quickly and cheaply. However it is not a total paint removal method as it leaves residue that must be finished off in some other way. Even so, it can still be a great way to start, especially if the paint is really thick.
What can you heat gun?
- Oil and enamel based paint (old paints)
- Lead based paint (however lead paint is poisonous and safety precautions are critical)
Water based paints and acrylics are generally not heat gunnable. Nothing happens, you just burn the wood. Houses built before 1960 generally have heat gunnable paint.
In many cases heat gunning does not save time, but it can save on paint stripper cost. There is a degree of skill needed to use a heat gun, but we show some good practice video examples on this website. Generally it's not strength that's needed, it's care. Women often heat gun just as well as men, and in some cases much better as they tend be more patient.
Most people never learn how to heat gun properly, look at our videos and you'll pick it up in minutes. There is the risk you can cause burn marks on the wood if you get it wrong. Practice on a test piece of timber or on a back of a door for example.
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