Removing old paint from walls

[Kree8]

G’day, noobie here. I’ve been renovating my house for ages and it’s taking even longer again because I’m working almost full-time, have a kid, on my own and doing post-grad studies which is whipping my butt a bit. A staff member at my local Bunnings advised me to remove all the old paint in my house as it is crackled in places and showing signs of mould in others. The pics I showed (on my old phone that died a painful death) had him suggesting they used a water based paint over an enamel paint. It’s such a slow process though. I’ve been using a blade scraper and heat gun, but I’m wondering if there’s a quicker way (that won’t bust my chops on the electric bill)? I’ve tried various sanders, but it just doesn’t seem to budge, and on one particular wall in my bedroom (sleeping on couch until bedroom done), the old paint isn’t even budging with the heat gun! I have Masonite walls in most of the house. Anyone have an idea how to get this stuff off quicker? I have big plans for my bedroom, but I’m stuck until I can repaint it.

[Former Workshop member]

G'day @Kree8 mate,

I don't know if this will be any help to you - and I notice that you said you have tried sanders already - but my belt sander is a bunky old dinosaur I got for free (with some sanding belts) for installing a guys car stereo. I have no idea how old it is and it is showing plenty of age...but when prepping for a tile job I have on the go it absolutely melted through the paint layer, the white set layer, and chewed at the render layer of my walls! I think I only had an old 80 grit on it as well; when I put a new 40 grit on I had to make sure I didnt take the bricks out 
I understand you mentioned you have a dust allergy so this may not be your preferred option (I dodgied together an adapter from the belt sander outlet to my el cheapo Ozito vacuum cleaners so the mess was minimal; however I would not advise this approach if you DIDN'T have a vacuum system....seriously...). I have also never worked with masonite other than my garage peg board so maybe this isn't an option on that material?
Just trying to help mate...there are other guys that have commented before that know a lot more than I do! Just humbly though it sounds like hard going man...

Cheers

[Kree8]

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@Former Workshop member wrote:

G'day @Kree8 mate,

I don't know if this will be any help to you - and I notice that you said you have tried sanders already - but my belt sander is a bunky old dinosaur I got for free (with some sanding belts) for installing a guys car stereo. I have no idea how old it is and it is showing plenty of age...but when prepping for a tile job I have on the go it absolutely melted through the paint layer, the white set layer, and chewed at the render layer of my walls! I think I only had an old 80 grit on it as well; when I put a new 40 grit on I had to make sure I didnt take the bricks out 
I understand you mentioned you have a dust allergy so this may not be your preferred option (I dodgied together an adapter from the belt sander outlet to my el cheapo Ozito vacuum cleaners so the mess was minimal; however I would not advise this approach if you DIDN'T have a vacuum system....seriously...). I have also never worked with masonite other than my garage peg board so maybe this isn't an option on that material?
Just trying to help mate...there are other guys that have commented before that know a lot more than I do! Just humbly though it sounds like hard going man...

Cheers

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g’day, @Former Workshop member, thanks for the input I actually tried my belt sander (I wear a dust mask when sanding). The Masonite turned out to be not quite flat enough. It was great on the areas right above the frame work, but it had curves where there was air behind, and my orbital sander just did absolutely nothing, so I gave up and went back to the heat gun. And your trick with the vacuum attached to the sander works a treat when I AM sanding something (I can’t afft to hire a floor sander, so I’m using my cheap little belt sander with 36 grit belts - does indeed chew up the uneven floorboards). I’m using the paint stripper on the tricky parts of the window sills and door frames  (covering with plastic wrap as suggested by another member) as it’s easier in the tight corners. I want to heartily thank everyone for their input. I’m learning so much doing these renovations. Quite a far cry from digestive health!

[Jaymo]

What type of Sanders? a "Random Orbital Sander" will take most surfaces off quickly and be able to work on uneven surfaces, use a courser grit sand paper than recommended, be careful not to cut too deep, a good one can cut deep quickly, so spend some time learning how quickly the sander will work, if it is water over oil your only option is to remove it properly then paint with a high quality primer such as Zinzer Oil based, you can then paint Water Based paints over that, I think someone was recommending replacing the wall linings in this thread, from what I could understand from what was written the recommendation was to remove cornices and glue/screw new linings over the existing wall, this may be the easiest way out as there will be areas that will take a lot of effort to work all the old unwanted problematic paint off.

[casper1]

You have probably found out that it is simply a case of trial and error to find the easiest method of removal for each surface. I would like to draw your attention to the possible presence of lead based paint. This was used 50+ years ago and may pose a serious health risk. If you go to your local Bunnings paint department, they can advise the most effective face mask to prevent inhaling noxious fumes and dust. You can't put a price on your health.