How to Remove Gloss Paint

If you're looking to repaint any walls or surfaces in your home, you may be curious about how to remove gloss paint. Although it is extremely resilient, gloss paint can be successfully removed with a helpful instructional guide and a few basic tools.

Prep Your Wall or Surface

Before proceeding to remove gloss paint from any of your home's walls or surfaces, you'll need to seal off the surrounding area. To do this, place painter's tape around the edges of the wall or surface you're working with. This will help prevent your paint stripper from getting onto a wall or surface you don't wish to repaint.

Perform Your Initial Scraping

Having properly placed your painter's tape, you are ready to begin the paint removal process. With the aid of a putty knife, paint scraper or a combination thereof, carefully proceed to scrape the gloss paint. The more you're able to penetrate the paint, the easier it will be for your paint stripper to remove it from your wall or surface.

When performing this step, it is strongly recommended that you wear a paper mask to make sure you don't inhale any paint scrapings. Additionally, you should don a pair of safety goggles, as these will protect your eyes from airborne paint chips.

Strip the Paint

Now that you've given your wall or surface a vigorous scraping, it's time to begin the gloss paint removal process. Begin this step by opening up any nearby doors or windows to ensure that the area is properly ventilated. For additional protection, you may even want to place an electric fan in one of the windows and set it to "exhaust." Furthermore, make sure to don a heavy-duty breathing mask, safety goggles and a pair of protective gloves. The fumes emitted by commercial paint strippers can be very harmful to one's health. In addition, if the stripper spills onto your skin, take care to drop what you're doing and wash it off immediately.

After taking the proper precautionary measures, use a paintbrush to apply your stripper to the freshly scraped area in smooth, even strokes. If you feel yourself becoming overpowered by the fumes at any point, take a break outdoors. Once the paint stripper has been applied to the entire area, allow it to sit for the amount of time specified on the product's packaging. Although the amount of drying time varies between brands, you can typically expect to wait about 20 minutes.

Perform Your Final Scraping

Once your paint stripper has been given ample time to dry, you will be ready to carry out the final step. Using your paint scraper or putty knife, scrape off the remaining gloss paint, again making sure to wear protective gear. If there is any remaining paint at the end of this process, repeat steps 3 and 4 until the entire area is completely free of paint.