How to Remove Paint Using Heat Guns (3 Steps): Easy To Follow Guide

As we have mentioned before on this blog, heat guns can be used for a lot of different things. Am I right? You can use it to shrink wrap, replace phone glass, removing paint, and a lot of other tasks. Now, each task you do with the heat gun is different, shrinking wrap requirements different logic, stripping paint requirements different logic, and so on.

But today we will talk and give you some tips on how to use and buy the best heat gun for paint removal.

Removing paint from wood or wall is not that easy, you can’t just start the heat gun and aim it to a wall and except the paint just to disappear. If you do that, not only you are not gonna remove the paint but you are also gonna damage the object you are working on.

How to Remove Paint Using Heat Guns?

The process is easy, but still, you need a guide with steps to get the best results. Here are the steps that you need to complete:

Get The Right Tools

Let’s just get back from stripping paint for a moment and let me tell you what tools you need in order to make this work :

• Heat gun
• Putty Knife (Paint Scraper)
• Nozzle (Optional)

You need to have a high-quality heat gun, you don’t want a low-quality heat gun that won’t work the next month, right?. If you don’t already know, we have made a post about heat gun safety tips where we have listed a lot of helpful tips that will help you to protect yourself while working with these tools.

Use a Heat Gun

Remember when I said different tasks need different logic? The same thing goes for strip paint too. Before starting to do this task make sure to read all the safety tips I wrote.

Using a heat gun to remove paint will help you do it faster, especially on objects that you can’t move and the paint is old.

Simply start your heat gun and wait for it to heat, once it reached a medium/high temperature start directing the hot air at the object.

Keep Your Distance From The Wood

Make sure to be at least 4 inches away or you may burn it, different models need different distances so you have to read the manual of your heat gun.

Try to move the heat gun around, never keep it in one place for more than 2 or 3 seconds. While you are moving your heat gun with one hand, use the other hand to remove the paint with a putty knife that I mentioned before that you need it. The putty knife is used as a paint scraper.

This is a really long process depending on your object that you want to remove paint from. Since you are gonna remove all the paint put something at the end of your object so the pieces of paint do not touch your floor since they are still hot and sticky and may stick to your floor.

Keep in mind that if you are working mineral spirits you have to be careful because they are flammable.

Learn More: What’s the difference between a hairdryer vs heat gun?

Last words

If you are trying to strip paint from objects that have windows then you need to lower your heat and make sure to use “Glass Protector” nozzles in order to protect your windows.

A lot of heat can break your window. Keep in mind to always follow safety tips and read your model manual in order to stay safe! We have also reviewed individual heat gun products. You can read our Dewalt Heat Gun Review here.