Peel Away 1 Paint Remover - HEAVY DUTY - Removes 30 Layers of Lead, Oil, & Alkyd-Based Paints & Coatings - The Older the Paint the Better - Complete Paint Removal System Under the Lid - 1 Gallon

I've stripped a lot of stuff in my time and it's always been a pain in the a**. So I was not looking forward to doing two 100 year old 4 panel doors with who knows how many layers of paint. I had some leftover Jasco and that was a mess and smelled bad and didn't work very well so I got some of that citrus strip stuff, that smelled better but only took off the top couple layers of paint. So I started searching for another product to strip paint with and eventually ended up with this stuff. I was a bit wary because some people raved about it and other said it didn't work at all but figured what the hell. Best decision ever. This stuff takes the paint off so easy I just can't believe it. Like sheets of old paint coming off and easily going into the waste bucket. I might even describe it as satisfying instead of tedious. It doesn't stink, it's fairly easy to clean up, it doesn't sting if you happen to get some on you and best of all it takes the old paint off. Ok, practical stuff. *I was putting it on about 1/8 thick, this seemed to do the trick. *1 bucket stripped one side of a door with a bit left over. Maybe 18-20 sqft? *The packaging is a bit annoying, you have to twist the top of the bucket and there's not much to grip on (just pull that white thing out, it's useless.) *The paper that comes with it works but maybe a bit messy. I just used plastic garbage bags that I cut open. *I did each door in three sections per side. Maybe could have done two sections. *I let is set for 24 hours and that was enough. *it was a bit problematic to get an even coat. I had to work quickly to spread it or the layers of paint would start coming up if I went back over it. (Note! Not a complaint!) *Once the big stuff is up I used a plastic scraper that I cut down to three different sizes to do most of the detail work, wire brush doesn't really work. *Get a sponge and big bucket of water to take off the residue. Wipe one direction for best cleaning. That's it! Soooo much easier than I'm used to.

I did not initially think that Peel Away was worth it. It's expensive, and messy, and lots of steps, and it wasn't a smooth process. So I have since tried multiple other paint stripping products on other projects and I came back to Peel Away and tried it again. My conclusion is that paint stripping just sucks. No matter which one you use its messy. Peel away was far less drawn out, and more effective. You have to use a thick enough layer of paste, and then let it stand for long enough. If you do, it scrapes right off. Door panel crevices, small details- lifts away with no scraping damage. 3-4 hours has been sufficient for the 5ish layers of latex and oil/lead paint I'm removing. I typically use it on things I can take outside-bc then I just pressure hose it off and let it sit in the sun before using the neutrilzer solution. It's not a perfect product, but none of them are. This one is definitely my favorite.

I have some built ins in a bedroom that had about 6 layers of paint on them when I purchased my house. I wanted to paint them to match my decor, but I didn't want to add anther layer of paint. I tried a paint stripper I purchased from the hardware store, but it didn't do much. When I read about Peel Away and saw the videos I was certain this product would remove the caked-on paint from my built in shelves, so I purchased 1 rather expensive bucket of the product to try out, knowing that I would need at least 4 buckets for the entire project. Boy was I wrong. I applied the product as instructed leaving it 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and covered it with the included paper. After 12 hours I checked it and saw that there had been no change, so I left it to sit. After 24 hours there still was no change. After 48 hours - no change. After 60 hours, nothing. So I took the plastic scraper that I used to apply the paste and began to scrape it all off for fear that it wold start to dry and I would have to by another bucket pf product just to remove the first layer of product. The product did not remove any paint from my built ins. I did, however, succeed in eating a hole through the rubber gloves I wore and took off half of my fingernail. I ended up getting a citrus gel stripper from walmart that removed several layers of paint and used an electric sander to smooth it out before repainting. I won't buy this product again.

Works well if you use enough and like other similar products is messy. The smell is pretty mild, though. I bought a second tub when I ran out.