How to remove old paint from ceiling?

ash84

Hi,

I am hoping to get some advice on the best way to get around this situation with my ceilings so that I can paint and do it right.
The house was built in the 70’s and nothing undercoated before being painted.. I have use a scraper to get the loose paint off, but now have paint dots stuck to the putty used to cover the nails or screws of the plasterboard.
I have found that I can heat the spots and the paint will go soft enough to scrape off, but this is going to be a huge task as I am doing the whole house and want to make sure I do it so that this does not happen again in the future.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I simply just can’t afford to have someone come in and finish the job for me.
Thanks in advance!

JacobZ

Hi @ash84,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you join us.

Removing large sections of paint with a scraper is going to be the best way to deal with the majority of the paint, but those tricky spots can still be made easier.

You might want to look at investing in a Full Boar 750W 225mm Drywall Sander Kit. It will reduce the amount of time working above your head and would be much cheaper than having someone come do it for you.

A rougher grit sandpaper such as the 60 or 80 grit that is included, will do a good job of removing the top layer of paint. Be careful not to go too far though as you don't want to expose the screws beneath the plaster.

Please remember to wear a mask and eye protection when sanding overhead, it is a dusty job and any kind of protection you can give yourself is definitely worthwhile.

Let me know what you think and if you require any further advice.

Jacob

JacobZ

Hi @ash84,

Just to add to my original response, you might like to check out these handy articles for some guidance:

Let me know if there's anything else I can assist with.

Jacob

ash84

Thank you!
Will any sander do the job, or does it need to be a dry wall sander? I have few here at home, with plenty of sandpaper.
I have scraped everything that I can with a large scraper, it’s only the stuff that is stuck that I need to work with now. I’m assuming I need to sand that all off and then I have the taubmans 3in1 to put up before ceiling paint

cheers,

ash

JacobZ

Hi @ash84,

Any sander will work fine, they will just put more strain on your body from working up high for a long time. The drywall sanders are designed with this in mind to reduce strain on your body. It would be beneficial to start with the sander on a low setting to gauge how quickly the paint will be removed before upping the setting if needed. You want to remove the paint, not the plaster beneath, so take caution until you're comfortable with it.

Yes, you are correct that you'd need to sand off the remaining paint and then prime the ceiling with a product such as the Taubmans 15L White 3 In 1 Interior And Exterior Primer Undercoat Sealer.

Let me know if there's anything else I can assist with, I'm more than happy to help.

Jacob