# 4000 psi pressure washer required to strip paint?



## pman626 (Jun 28, 2016)

https://www.pressurewashersdirect.c...e-the-Right-PSI-for-Your-Pressure-Washer.html

according to this, paint stripping requires 4000 psi.

I was just about to buy a 3100 psi 2.8gpm pressure washer, but am holding off right now until you guys can chime in.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

What will you be stripping paint off of? what type of paint. Paint can be stripped off with lower pressure but it's not always a wise idea to use a pressure washer to strip paint, especially off of wood as too much pressure can damage the wood.


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## pman626 (Jun 28, 2016)

This. under eaves, wood siding. Flat exterior paint.

All have flaking paint. I don't want to spend hours scraping by hand.

these pics were taken 6 years ago. Condition is worse now.

3100psi ok?


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

I don't think I have ever seen anyone strip paint from a homes exterior soffits etc. with a PW. Interesting ….


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

I can understand 4000 psi if someone is removing paint or graffiti on a regular basis, and particularly if working on concrete or stone surfaces. But it’s not necessary for a homeowner. I would say it’s too much power for a first time user.

I had a 2400 psi Craftsman pressure washer for over 20 years. It would remove loose paint easily. If you used a too narrow spray tip (or adjustment on a variable spray nozzle), or got too close to the wood, it would cut through the paint and damage the wood.

Removing well attached paint from wood isn’t a job for a pressure washer. 
You will have to use something else like chemical, scraping, and/or sanding.

If you do end up getting a pressure washer, I’d suggest getting one with a Honda engine, no matter what the name on the washer is. Honda’s start easier and run somewhat quieter than the competition.


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

And a Caterpillar pump....


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

What I've heard over the years, like everybody replied above, is never try to remove paint with a pressure washer. Some loose paint maybe. Pressure and the nozzle narrow enough to remove paint WILL gouge wood underneath. Could break window glass and leave dented metals. There is no perfect water pressure or shape that will hit the paint to remove it but not touch the wood fiber and other materials under the paint. That website is selling you a tool, not to help you with a project. Same as going to a box store and asking how to roof a house.


Granted what I know is old. Go to other websites also that talk about painting as well as building. Get more points of view. Never go to a seller and take its word. That article is irresponsible. It says siding but not what. Paint remove, just washing, which nozzle, which pressure? This forum has several posts about trying to take paint off a deck. They all are about fails and how to fix.


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## pman626 (Jun 28, 2016)

woops. I should clarify. I just want to remove loose paint and clean. Not strip the whole thing.

Sounds like I can go ahead with the 3100psi washer.

With my credit card, I'll have a 4 year warranty, and the reviews are decent.

I figure $250 after taxes should make it worthwhile. And have time left over to wash my car.


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## pwcopy (Aug 27, 2017)

My 18-year old PT lumber deck has never been pressure washed, and it may just last another 18 years. Think of it this way: I spent a lot of money on good wood, put a lot of sweat equity building the deck, and covered it with $85/gal. stain (onetimewood.com) to keep weather and WATER from destroying it. Now I'm going to take a 3,000psi (or any other pressure) machine to blast water into the wood?!? Sorry, but that logic doesn't work for me. If you're just dealing with flaking, try a house cleaner like Mold Armor EZ House Wash and a scrub brush. Let the siding dry well and use top-quality paint. My 2 cents.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I have a small pressure washer with a honda motor and comet pump. Even though it only puts out about 1500 psi - I've never needed more when using it to prep for paint/stain. It is so easy to damage wood or force water where it don't belong when using too much pressure.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> I figure $250 after taxes should make it worthwhile.


That sounds too cheap, unless you have found some super sale.

You might want to post a link and get some direct comments on it.


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## pman626 (Jun 28, 2016)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Excell-...-OHV-Gas-Pressure-Washer-EPW2123100/301194101


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

That unit has over 8000 cleaning units, and is WAY more than you will need to do the job you describe, 6000 units is considered plenty for what you want to do.


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

Looks like the Excel PW for HD has a MIC engine on it. The 3200 PSI old Excel PW I had at work, had the big Honda GX series engine on it and Cat pump= lot more $$$$$ invested.


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

Pressure washers are good at washing. And you should wash before you paint to get the dirt and mold off. But pressure washers are lousy at removing paint. You can hit the paint in one direction and think you got everything off and then you come back in another direction and it starts coming up in sheets again. Everybody thinks a pressure washer will magically do all the prep work for them and it just doesn't. They are a pain in the neck. And they will blast little wet, sticky paint chips all over everything and make a huge mess. 

Pressure washers are like any other gas engine, so you have to deal with old gas and oil changes and air filters and spark plugs and all that stuff. Plus you have to store the thing. 

I'd rent a pressure washer for 50 bucks for this job. Buy a little $100 electric one for doing small jobs around the house. 

The PSI rating on a pressure washer is the MAXIMUM pressure it can produce. Most guys who do professional power washing have about 2500 PSI. Sometimes you need that for old concrete, but for the most part it is way too much pressure and they will use over-sized tips to drop the pressure lower. 4000 PSI is a stupid amount of pressure and can easily put a hole in your house. That won't work to strip paint off wood. Maybe if you want to strip paint off a brick wall or the steel hull of a ship. Cleaning units are marketing crap and mean nothing. If you want to get some work done, you need GPMs, not PSIs.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

And, for the record, removing paint with a pressure washer is waaaayyyy more work than scraping it off. I agree with everyone above. It's a poor choice for removing major chunks of paint. If it's just flaking, you'll be fine with a 2500 psi unit. I've been at it since 1978 and have NEVER counted on my PW to remove paint. Now, if it took some flakes off in the process of cleaning, well, that was a bonus.


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## pman626 (Jun 28, 2016)

oh well. I need to clean the paint anyway.

I'll find other uses for this PW.

If flakes of paint fly off, I'll consider that a bonus.

Back in 2013, I painted the small section next to the garage door. I remember picking at each flake of alligator paint, getting it down to bare wood.
It was time consuming.

$54 + tax to rent for 4 hours. Not sure if I can finish in 4 hours.
$77 for the whole day.

This PW is only $230 + tax, after coupon. Seems like a decent unit with 4 year warranty with Amex.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

Gymschu said:


> And, for the record, removing paint with a pressure washer is waaaayyyy more work than scraping it off. I agree with everyone above. It's a poor choice for removing major chunks of paint. If it's just flaking, you'll be fine with a 2500 psi unit. I've been at it since 1978 and have NEVER counted on my PW to remove paint. Now, if it took some flakes off in the process of cleaning, well, that was a bonus.


High GPM at low pressure actually does really well at removing paint. I've seen it leave a smooth almost sanded feeling finish.


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## JLawrence08648 (Mar 1, 2019)

I always put an emphasis on gpm more than psi. High GPM indicates a more powerful machine and does a better job. Look at 3 if not 3.5-4 gpm.


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## NotYerUncleBob2 (Dec 29, 2017)

mathmonger said:


> Everybody thinks a pressure washer will magically do all the prep work for them and it just doesn't. They are a pain in the neck. And they will blast little wet, sticky paint chips all over everything and make a huge mess.


This.

In my younger days I worked one summer for a company that did house painting and light carpentry/house repair. One of the big box stores had a big sale on pressure washers that spring and it kept us busy all summer. Replacing deck boards with gouges. Replacing siding with gouges. Replacing trim that was broken from the pressure washer. Reattaching light fixtures. One house even needed some drywall repairs from water getting in through the soffit. 
Houses are just not designed and built to withstand 4000psi of water hitting them from odd angles. 5psi rain drops do enough damage and the house is designed to shed those. 
If you do go with the pressure washer (which I obviously don't recommend) be careful of the angle of attack. Try to go top down only. Blasting water up will get it inside the wall through weep paths. 
If you're not getting paint off as easily as you'd hoped, DO NOT GET CLOSER!! Resist that urge. It's hard though, and I think everyone who's pressure washed knew it and did it anyway and gouged something.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

mathmonger said:


> Pressure washers are good at washing. And you should wash before you paint to get the dirt and mold off. But pressure washers are lousy at removing paint. You can hit the paint in one direction and think you got everything off and then you come back in another direction and it starts coming up in sheets again. Everybody thinks a pressure washer will magically do all the prep work for them and it just doesn't. They are a pain in the neck. And they will blast little wet, sticky paint chips all over everything and make a huge mess.
> 
> Pressure washers are like any other gas engine, so you have to deal with old gas and oil changes and air filters and spark plugs and all that stuff. Plus you have to store the thing.
> 
> ...



low pressure high volume water actually strips paint off wood very efficiently. I don't really recommend it for the average DIY, but I have seen professionals strip paint and leave an almost sanded finish. The 4000psi machines also have a larger pump so more GPM, just need to drop the pressure using oversized orifice or for example my 4Kpsi/4GPM Yamaha/CAT pump has a quality pressure regulator. The larger machines also have more features like automatic engine idle and a larger gas tank.


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## pman626 (Jun 28, 2016)

I'm gonna test how well a PW removes caked on dust.

Cobwebs are probably easy.

We have 90 degree weather for the next few weeks at least, so hopefully water damage won't be too bad.

A bunch of rafters and eaves and siding. Water can get trapped between the roof deck and rafters.

This is what I'm dealing with...


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

Might want to get that rusty light removed as you have planned first. No sense in going back and having to repaint where the conduits will be moved.


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> low pressure high volume water actually strips paint off wood very efficiently. I don't really recommend it for the average DIY, but I have seen professionals strip paint and leave an almost sanded finish. The 4000psi machines also have a larger pump so more GPM, just need to drop the pressure using oversized orifice or for example my 4Kpsi/4GPM Yamaha/CAT pump has a quality pressure regulator. The larger machines also have more features like automatic engine idle and a larger gas tank.


I'd love to learn how that works if you could get some more detail. I've got a $2000 4/4 commercial washer and all kinds of orifices, turbo nozzle, surface cleaner, xjet, buffer tank, etc. I cannot strip paint.


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## pman626 (Jun 28, 2016)

Gregsoldtruck79 said:


> Might want to get that rusty light removed as you have planned first. No sense in going back and having to repaint where the conduits will be moved.



already done...

new box is on inside of fascia board


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## RRH (Nov 24, 2016)

mathmonger said:


> I'd love to learn how that works if you could get some more detail. I've got a $2000 4/4 commercial washer and all kinds of orifices, turbo nozzle, surface cleaner, xjet, buffer tank, etc. I cannot strip paint.


And you are not going to.
I dont care what the other guy said. There is no magic way to do so without spreading the fibers and damaging the wood.

There is a reason professionals dont strip paint with a PW.

The paint would have to be just about falling off and you would have to get water behind it.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

pman626 said:


> All have flaking paint. I don't want to spend hours scraping by hand.


Get over it.


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

No help to the OP here I know, but this is why when we bought our last home, I made sure it had NO wood outside on it to ever paint. I am so OVER painting exterior wood with all the ladder climbing, sanding, scraping,..crapola to maintain it. 

As aging does make one's priorities in life ...change. JMO


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

RRH said:


> And you are not going to.
> I dont care what the other guy said. There is no magic way to do so without spreading the fibers and damaging the wood.
> 
> There is a reason professionals dont strip paint with a PW.
> ...



Believe what you want but I have seen someone with a 'magic way to do so without spreading the fibers and damaging the wood.' I used to think the same, until I saw in person this one guy doing it. It would be used in place of scraping/sanding failed paint. The end result was anything that wasn't tightly adhered came right off and the wood felt like it had been sanded with 150grit.


Naturally this is a process that he guards closely since he makes money doing it I won't go into all the detail of what exactly he is using to achieve that result.


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

RRH said:


> And you are not going to.
> I dont care what the other guy said. There is no magic way to do so without spreading the fibers and damaging the wood.
> 
> There is a reason professionals dont strip paint with a PW.
> ...


He's probably got a kit hooked up for wet media blasting. 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson...-Kit-for-Gas-Pressure-Washers-80168/100663338


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

mathmonger said:


> He's probably got a kit hooked up for wet media blasting.
> 
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson...-Kit-for-Gas-Pressure-Washers-80168/100663338



Nope lol hes just using a harbor freight grade pressure washer. Again I'm not going to dive all the details this guy uses since its a system he developed over the years.


That blaster kit does look cool though, I may pick one up here thanks


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## NotYerUncleBob2 (Dec 29, 2017)

Gregsoldtruck79 said:


> No help to the OP here I know, but this is why when we bought our last home, I made sure it had NO wood outside on it to ever paint. I am so OVER painting exterior wood with all the ladder climbing, sanding, scraping,..crapola to maintain it.
> 
> As aging does make one's priorities in life ...change. JMO


Ah yes, the ol' "vinyl is final" approach...until the J channel comes loose, sun reflected off a window melts a piece, a strong wind rips it off, water gets behind the expansion point and rots the sheathing, the south side fades so much it doesn't match the north and east sides, nope...no maintenance or issues ever! 
The cement board stuff looks ok, but that's not without issues too. It still is painted so eventually the paint will fail and the material is brittle so it can be damaged by impacts that would bounce off wood. 
Every material will have it's own issues and needs as well as its own benefits, beauty, or lack thereof. If you like vinyl, fine. I personally can't stand the stuff and would never buy a house with it, but I get that some people's values are different than mine.


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