How can/should I remove paint from my overhangs?

Question

Old paint is peeling off my overhangs (maybe eaves is the right term?) and I need to repaint. Big pieces of the old paint are coming off by hand, but in many patches the paint is still holding on to the wood.

Should I scrape it off, remove it with some kind of chemical, or just paint over it? If I should remove it, what's the best way? I tried a hand-held metal scraper and I don't think it's a good solution for the whole house -- too much work, and I find myself gouging the wood almost as much as removing paint.

Answer 1

There is no need to remove all of the existing paint. All you have to do is scrape off the loose paint, and paint over it. This is what the majority of house painters do.

I would recommend that you put drop cloths under you so you can catch most of the flakes. They tend to make a pretty big mess.

Answer 2

you have a couple of options:

1) sand it down, depending on how sound the paint is you could just sand down and then prime again before painting, however the paint applied to these patches may come off with the underlying paint in the future

2) best option for me is get some eco paint stripper gel, paint it on the paint patches generously and then attach some cling (PVC food wrap) film secured with drawing pins. The cling film will initially hold on to the gel quite well, but as the gel penetrates the paint it will fall off, hence the drawing pins. Leave it 24h and it should scrape off quite readily

Answer 3

I use many different methods of removal, especially when working on historical homes as I have done in the past. I first start with a 5and1 as I like to begin with more conventional methods. I also combine wire brushing with this method. I will also use random orbital sanders, oscillator tools, and mouse sanders, depending on how particular the homeowner is about the finished look. Be careful not to sell yourself short and be prepared to work diligently.