What is the easiest way to strip old paint from kitchen cabinets?

Answer 1

I have done a LOT of paint-stripping in the past few years and have tried nearly everything out there! My best and most consistent success has been with using a heat gun and a scraper to get the paint or varnish off, then finishing the job off with a sander to smooth the finish and remove any last few traces of paint.

The chemical strippers never work as well as they promise to and they are bad for the environment as well as incredibly expensive (especially since they don't even work). Stripping solutions that promised to remove mulitple layers at once never did, and took me numerous applications even for just a single layer of paint. They are incredibly messy and will ruin anything they come in contact with - particulalry your clothes and your skin!

Sanding to remove the paint is also extremely messy and it is VERY hard to control the dust which will get EVERYWHERE, no matter how careful you are. Also, it is a lot of work to sand back even one coat of paint - when you have something that has been painted repeatedly over the years, it can be a nightmare!

Even the paint residue from a heat gun can be messy and should be disposed of carefully. But it is easier to contain and control than either chemicals or sanding and it produces considerably less toxic crap to get rid of!

I hope that this perspective helps. I to do this myself over the weekend and have my trusty Heat Gun all ready to go!

Jara

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Do they have much design? I have seen stripping done with a gel stripper, that will peal off thick layers of many coats of paint.
Get some and follow the instructions on something small before trying the kitchen cabinets.
Good Luck.

Answer 4

First of all, make sure you HAVE to strip it before redoing them b/c it's a huge pain in the butt. If you're repainting them and not trying to stain them, you don't necessarily have to strip the old paint. Just put some Kilz Premium on them and paint away. You don't even need to sand them if you prime. If you absolutely have to strip the old paint, there are several paint strip solutions you can get from Lowe's or Home Depot, just ask someone in the paint department.

Answer 5

Are they wood or metal?
Remove the doors & hardware and sand those in another area (basement or shed).
Use semi-paste stripper like Strip-Eeze to do the bases.
Ventilate well- evacuate animals and kids- use protective gear like goggles, gloves, long-sleeves.