Now the work begins. Removing the weak paint already on the surface is the hardest part of the preparation process. If you are doing the job yourself this is where you get the arms and elbows working. If you have hired a professional painter you should have a specific discussion about old paint removal and how they approach this part of the job. Basically there is no easy answer. Removing old paint is flat out hard work.

There are 3 basic techniques to remove old paint.

1. Scrape it off
2. Remove the old paint with a chemical paint remover.
3. Loosen the old paint with heat and then scrape it off

Most do it yourself jobs will involve scraping off the old paint. Professional painters will use chemicals and heat when needed. The goal here is not to remove all of the old paint but just what is weak. Where the paint is flaking or bubbling away from the surface. Many times this kind of failure is due to improper paint preparation and painting on an unclean surface.

Go to the local hardware store and buy a couple of different sized paint scrapers. A one inch and a two inch paint scraper should do the trick for most jobs. Also make sure you pick up some extra blades for when the paint scraper gets dull. Wherever you see loose paint start scraping and scrape until the paint stops coming off. Once you have reached a place where the paint is properly adhered to the surface you can stop scraping and move on to the next spot. On windowsills and ledges it is frequent to scrape off the entire surface every time you repaint. As you finish scraping in a certain spot you will have an edge where the old paint remains next to a spot where the surface is now bare. When you paint over that edge it will be noticeable and there is very little you can do to prevent this problem. Unless you want to scrape off the entire surface your best option is to carry some 60 grit sandpaper and sand down the edge so it is a little less obvious. Then wipe up the sandpaper dust so you still have a nice clean surface when you are done.

Start at the top of the surface, wall, window and scrape towards the bottom of the surface. If you are working on an old building or old room please be careful that you know how old the paint might be. Anything before 1960 is a real risk and any structure painted between 1960 and 1978 should be tested before you scrape. For more information you can contact The National Lead Information Center (NLIC) at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323). Scraping old paint is hard work but it is the only way to insure that your new paint job will not peel in 2 years. So turn on the ipod and get to work.

DIY Home