How to Remove Paint From Steel

To ensure that a new coat of paint adheres to steel, you must first remove the old paint from the steel's surface. There are numerous ways to remove paint from the surface of metal, but one method in particular does not require special tooling or excessive amounts of heat to break the bond between the paint and the metal's surface. Paint strippers will completely remove the paint from the steel without harming the surface. Follow the safety precautions on the paint remover can to avoid overexposure to the chemical's fumes and the chemical itself.

Multipurpose cleaner
Clean rags
Painter's plastic
Safety glasses
Protective gloves
Paint stripper
Plastic bucket
2-inch paintbrush
2-inch putty knife
Duct tape

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the surface of the steel with multipurpose cleaner and clean rags to remove any contaminants that will interfere with the absorption of the paint stripper.
- 2
  Lay painter's plastic on the ground and place the steel on top of the plastic. If the steel you need to strip is fixed in place, lay the painter's plastic directly below the steel.
- 3
  Put on your safety glasses and protective gloves.
- 4
  Carefully pour the paint stripper into a plastic bucket.
- 5
  Liberally apply the paint stripper to the surface of the steel with a 2-inch paintbrush.
- 6
  Allow the paint stripper to penetrate the paint covering the steel for the time specified by the manufacturer. As a rule, when the paint wrinkles it is ready to be removed from the steel.
- 7
  Scrape the wrinkled paint from the surface of the steel with a 2-inch putty knife. Keep all the scraped paint on the painter's plastic.
- 8
  Apply additional paint stripper to areas that weren't cleaned in the first application. Allow it to sit, then scrape again.
- 9
  Clean the stripped surface of the steel with multipurpose cleaner and clean rags to remove the residue left by the paint stripper.

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