Hello! My husband and I want to re-do the front porch on our 115 year old house. This includes the trim, ceiling and floor. There are many, many layers of paint in poor condition, so we thought it would be best to remove all the paint first. We have never tried to strip anything before, and dove into the project yesterday using methylene chloride. Three hours later we hardly had anything to show for it!
We are considering trying a heat gun. Never used one before (kinda concerned about burning the house down). Want to avoid sanding a lot because of lead paint. Maybe a light pressure wash first? The ceiling seems fragile in some spots. A neighbor walked over and suggested we conceal/replace the ceiling with new bead board. Seems like an easier option at this point but we would still need to remove the paint from the trim (wood) and floor (concrete).

Any advice/ suggestions are appreciated!

 

I don't do a lot of stripping so whenever I have that type of job coming up I ask the paint rep at the store for his advice. I have found that when feasible, brushing on a paint and varnish remover, letting it set/work and the pressure washing it off is very effective ..... but also quite messy

Heat guns don't pose a big fire threat unlike the old method of using a torch The main thing is to use a little commonsense and scrape the paint off as it starts to bubble.