Paint stripper

Paint stripper, or paint remover, is a chemical product designed to remove paint, finishes, and coatings while also cleaning the underlying surface. Paint stripper, or paint remover, is a chemical product designed to remove paint, finishes, and coatings while also cleaning the underlying surface. The product's material safety data sheet provides more safety information than its product labels. Paint can also be removed using mechanical methods (scraping or sanding) or heat (hot air, radiant heat, or steam). Lead-based paint is banned in the United States. Removing old lead-based paint can disperse lead and cause lead poisoning, leading several US workplace and environmental regulations address removal of old paint that could contain lead. Chemical paint removers work only on certain types of finishes, and when multiple types of finishes may have been used on any particular surface, trial-and-error testing is typical to determine the best stripper for each application. Two basic categories of chemical paint removers are caustic and solvent. Caustic paint removers, typically sodium hydroxide (also known as lye or caustic soda), work by breaking down the chemical bonds of the paint, usually by hydrolysis of the chain bonds of the polymers forming the paint. Caustic removers must be neutralized or the new finish will fail prematurely. In addition, several side effects and health risks must be taken into account in using caustic paint removers. Such caustic aqueous solutions are typically used by antique dealers who aim to restore old furniture by stripping off worn varnishes, for example. Solvent paint strippers penetrate the layers of paint and break the bond between the paint and the object by swelling the paint. The principal active ingredient in common solvent paint strippers is dichloromethane, also called methylene chloride. Methylene has serious health risks including death and is likely a carcinogen. Solvent strippers may also have formulations with orange oil (or other terpene solvents), n-methylpyrrolidone, esters such as dibasic esters (often dimethyl esters of shorter dicarboxylic acids, sometimes aminated, for example, adipic acid or glutamic acid), aromatic hydrocarbons, dimethylformamide, and other solvents are known as well. The formula differs according to the type of paint and the character of the underlying surface. Nitromethane is another commonly used solvent. Dimethyl sulfoxide is a less toxic alternative solvent used in some formulations.