Neutralising Paint Strippers??...prep for linseed paint

[jungle_jim01]

So the windows are stripped repaired, treated with linseed oil and ready to be painted. I've bought some Holkham linseed paint but just read this on their website:

"Paint Strippers - We do not recommend the use of “paint strippers” (chemical or eco-friendly) as they are absorbed by the timbers and can, if neutralised incorrectly or insufficiently, cause our paint to bubble up and/or come off."

Does anyone have any experience of this? Any suggestions how i can 'neutralise' the paint stripper?

Thanks again

 

[skier-hughes]

What paint stripper have you used?

 

[jungle_jim01]

just some bog standard paint and varnish stripper from my local hardware store

 

[Penners]

The type is important, Jim. A neutraliser can't be reliably recommended without that information.

 

[Feltwell]

I've always stripped the windows with a heat gun.

Paint strippers are normally highly alkaline I think - can anyone else confirm? What does the health & safety information say on the stripper you used?

If it does warn you of it being alakaline, you could maybe experiment with a bit of scrap timber - Put some paint stripper on, leave it for bit, clean it off. Put some diluted white vinegar on to neutralise it, clean it off. Let it dry then paint it and see what happens.

Alternatively, many on here have used this company's products and they sell a neutralizer. Intended for their stripper but it could be worth giving them a call to see what they say (hopefully more than "why didn't you use our stripper? )

http://www.stripperspaintremovers.co.uk/

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Paint strippers generally fall into two catagories: solvent based (such as Nitromors, Strypit) which can be washed off with water or white sprirt, or alkaline (poultice-type strippers, caustic soda, commercial 'dipping' tanks). It's the alakaline ones which require neutralisation, essentially treating the residual alakali stripper with an acid to achieve a neutral pH. If this is not done then the stripper will react with newly applied paint causing it to fail.

The problem is most acute with items (e.g. doors) which have been commercially stripped in a caustic dip tank. The alkali solution soaks into the wood and can remain active for years afterwards. It absorbs water from the atmosphere, so that patches of residue remain damp to the touch and never dry out. Reapeated application of an acid, typically white vinegar, may be required to neutralise the afected areas. On one badly affected door I encountered I resorted to using hydrochloric acid to achieve neutralisation before painting could occur.