# Semi gloss on Semi gloss



## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Wow...even w/o sanding (prep) it shouldn't do that
Did they use a super-cheap paint, or was the white paint oil-based?


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## downunder (Jun 13, 2008)

slickshift,

Way out on a limb here but do you think a water-based stripper would be overkill here?


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Oh, no. I wouldn't start using a stripper on the wall. You'd make the mother of all messes as it dissolved the blue paint and the white paint and whatever paint is under that yet, too.

If you can peel strips of that blue paint off, I'd try an electric leaf blower to get some air pressure under the paint. Or, even try hooking the suction hose of your vaccuum cleaner to the exhaust port and see if that helps to remove the paint. Another option would be Scotch Tape. Just stick the Scotch tape (or duct tape) to the blue paint, and pull off the Scotch or duct tape. If the blue paint isn't sticking to the white paint as well as the Scotch tape sticks to the blue paint, you should be able to pull that blue piant off with the tape.

Different kinds of paint have different properties. I'm hoping we can exploit those differences to make the blue paint easier to get off.

Take a spray bottle and get the blue paint wet. Let it stay wet for 10 or 15 minutes, and then pick at it to see if you can get it peeling off. If the blue paint is an inexpensive (PVA) latex, it will lose it's adhesion and strength when it's wet, and you will then be able to scrape it off the white paint with a paint scraper. Use one of those paint scrapers with the tungsten carbide blade because it's sharp enough for serious scraping, but it won't scrape through oil based paint or 100% Acrylic paint without you're applying enough pressure to make the paint scraper do that.

When the blue paint has been wet for a while, grab onto a single edge razor blade with a pair of needle nose style locking pliers. Use that to see if you can "shave" the blue paint off.

Is the white paint an oil based or "alkyd" paint? If so, and if push comes to shove, you should be able to dissolve the blue latex paint without hardly any damage at all to the underlying alkyd paint by using xylene, which is available at most paint stores or PRINTING supply stores. I've been told that Goo Gone or Goof Off also remove latex paint from oil based paint, but I've never tried either of them for that application.

If the underlying white paint is oil based, and the razor scraper seems to work OK, then do both; scrape most of the blue paint off when it's wet, and then remove the residual blue paint with xylene.

Basically, you can remove latex paint from oil based paint using xylene, and you can remove vinyl acrylic latex paints from 100% Acrylic latex paints by getting the vinyl acrylic wet (so that it softens and loses it's adhesion) and scraping it off with a paint scraper.

PS: I would also try a leaf blower. If you can peel that blue paint off, but it shreads, why not get the paint started and get some air pressure under the paint to lift it off?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

downunder said:


> slickshift,
> 
> Way out on a limb here but do you think a water-based stripper would be overkill here?


I wouldn't consider that w/o more information

Generally I wouldn't consider using a stripper on a wall regardless
It's usually one of those "Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time" deals
They rarely end up well
There are almost always better choices
...not necessarily ones you wanted to hear, like scrape and sand, but often they are better...on many levels


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## downunder (Jun 13, 2008)

> ...not necessarily ones you wanted to hear, like scrape and sand, but often they are better...on many levels





> I tried sanding the royal blue paint, but it gums up the different grit sandpaper and I've found this is not going to work. :furious:


That's why I was wondering about a different approach. Personally, I would go with the sanding. Not sure why the sandpaper is gumming up; maybe using the wrong kind?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Some latex paints will gum up like that


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