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Stripping painted marble & granit…

| Posted in General Discussion on January 7, 1999 11:38am

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I removed 12 layers of paint from a marble & granite fireplace with a heat gun. I am down to the last layer and am trying to figure out the best way to remove. Some of the paint has seeped into the pores of the stone, and I realize that this will probably not be removeable.

Any ideas on how to remove the last layer and clean the stone? Has anyone used any good products for a job like this?

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  1. Guest_ | Jan 01, 1999 12:08am | #1

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    Some people, eh? To paint over marble & granite, yeech! Fortunately, I have not seen this before.

    Anyway, what kind of paint was used, can you tell?
    To get it to stick, maybe they went with an epoxy. I'd suggest using a fine scraper blade for removing the final coat.

    You now have a somewhat clean stone surface. Get ready for sanding/polishing. I'll bet you don't have the best looking surface anyway, so at least sand to uniform gloss finish. This will take out the paint in the pores, except for the deeper pores.

    (Most species of marble won't have deep pores anyway.)

    If you don't want to polish, or there are unsightly paint-filled pores, consider getting an artist to touch-up those areas. Just be sure to use a paint that has the same albedo (reflection of light--commonly known as gloss or matte finish)
    as the stone.

    Let me know how it goes.

  2. Frank_Schnecker | Jan 06, 1999 09:47am | #2

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    Rich:

    There were many layers of paint...the last layer is a faux finish on the granite to make it look like the marble.

    What do you recommend for sanding & polishing...there must be some sand paper for marble & granite.

    Thanks for your help.

  3. Guest_ | Jan 07, 1999 11:36am | #3

    *
    I hate my ISP.

    Frank, I had a post all but sent and the stupid thing cut me off. I'll try again.

    I use Aluminum Oxide wet/dry sanding discs mounted on a foam backing pad screwed onto the arbor of a variable speed grinder. The discs are made by 3M. I use an 8" disc, but any size will work.

    I sand dry, ie, no liquid because I don't like the mess. Depending on the stone, I'll start off with 220 grit @ 5,000 RPM. Given that scratches "disappear" at 400 grit, I go to 600 grit @ 8,000 RPM.

    After sanding, if I want a really lustrous, glossy finish, I'll polish with a polishing compound. This comes in different "grit" too. For granite though, you can use whatever compound. Keep in mind that it should be clear so as to not stain the stone. Generally, white compound/light colored stone, black compound/dark colored stone.

    I use a car buffing pad at 8-10,000 RPM. Do not be too liberal with the compound because as soon as the spinning pad touces the stuff you'll have it all over your walls.

    Long, sweeping passes is the key. If you haven't done much of this work before, practice on a scrap piece. You'll need to figure out the angle of disc to stone with which you feel comfortable. Too steep and you may leave gouges, too flat and you'll not get much work done. Besides, you may catch the opposite side of the disc or the arbor nut if you use that kind of setup.

    Don't apply too much downward pressure, let the machine do the work. Be one with the machine. Use the force. Luke, I'm your father.

    Have fun, let us hear about it.

  4. Frank_Schnecker | Jan 07, 1999 11:38am | #4

    *
    I removed 12 layers of paint from a marble & granite fireplace with a heat gun. I am down to the last layer and am trying to figure out the best way to remove. Some of the paint has seeped into the pores of the stone, and I realize that this will probably not be removeable.

    Any ideas on how to remove the last layer and clean the stone? Has anyone used any good products for a job like this?

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