Wood Stripping

Question: I’m renovating a house built in 1917 and I would like to remove the years of built up paint off the 6 panel doors and trim that was used in the house. There are 15 doors and probably a 1000 lineal feet of various finish boards. Which Machine and Media should I purchase? Approximately how much media will I need?

Response: Either the KF110DM or the KF65DM will work with the Corn Cob Grit or Walnut Shell Grit. The Walnut Shell Grit will offer a more aggressive stripping action but the surface may require some sanding depending on the surface finish you require. Corn Cob Grit will be more ‘sensitive’ to the wood surface but will not strip as quickly.

The quantity of media required will depend on how aggressive the blasting that is required. Multiple layers of durable paint will demand more media; however, both Corn Cob and Walnut Shell are re-usable. If you are blasting in a clean area you can pick up the media and re-blast it a few times – just be careful to not pick up anything that could be blasted and damage the wood surface.

Four Times is Twice as Big

Just one more quick comment on CFM, nozzle size and blasting...

I discussed a little about the differences and relationship between CFM and PSI in a previous post. PSI is basically the amount of force you blast with. CFM is the volume of air being used during blasting.

It is sometimes suprising to realize how much air (CFM) is required during blasting. At a given PSI setting, the amount of air needed is directly related to the nozzle size being used. The larger the nozzle, the more air that is required. This also means that if you want to use a large nozzle, you will need a large compressor.

For example, at 80 psi, a 1/8" nozzle will require 20 CFM. At the same pressure a 1/4" nozzle will require 85 CFM and a 1/2" nozzle will demand 340 CFM. A basic chart that shows the air requirements for different nozzles at different pressures is on the PPB Series page.

Rule of thumb: double the nozzle size, quadruple the CFM required.