EZ Strip Blog is the hub for information on safe alternatives to chemical stripping and other hazardous methods for paint and coating removal. Lets get the facts straight whether you are a pro or a home project connoisseur learn the safest and fastest coating removal products and techniques here.
In many cases, you can bring a piece of old furniture back to life with minimal effort. Cleaning, restoring, and refinishing old furniture can greatly increase the value of a piece. Unless of course, the item is a masterpiece of antique furniture or finished with a hand-painted technique!
Sometimes, a once-over cleaning and a little bit of glue to hold the joints together securely will do a world of good before you consider any major changes to the original finish. When a piece has been neglected for decades, it’s tough to tell what it will look like once it’s refinished. To get an idea of what your piece will look like refinished, find a protected spot where the original wood is visible. Make sure that you like the look of the grain and that you understand what color will come out with in the end — old wood often finishes much darker than newly milled wood.
Once you have an idea for the final finished look you want, the possibilities are endless to reinvent, repurpose, and refinish old furniture. An important thing to note with furniture refinishing is when using chemicals, safer options are available and highly recommended. Here are some great refinishing ideas done with DIY-friendly removal options from EZ Strip.
Nothing makes a weekend more enjoyable than adding a great DIY project to make your favorite room pop! Introducing a splash of color or a new design feature can really change the whole feel of a home. If you are in need of some inspiration or are just looking for touch of dimension, take a look at these top 10 DIY paint projects.
01Say Hello to Stencils
If you're ready to make a style statement with your accent wall, consider using a wall stencil to add a bit of depth into your accent wall. A wall stencil DIY project gives you complete control of choosing your favorite design and paint colors with an end result everyone will love! There are many simple DIY paint projects that creates big changes with a little bit of paint. To pull your room's design together, repeat your accent wall pattern with a matching area rug or pillow fabrics.
02 In With the Old, Out With the New
Even the most beautiful old furniture can benefit from a color makeover. If you have a piece of furniture that you love but are seriously wondering if it still fits your style, try this DIY paint update project. The key to a stunning paint makeover is adding a pop of unexpected color. For a hutch or buffet, painted shelves in a bold color are highlighted by a more serious color on the outside. A bookcase can be updated by painting the inside back or interior shelves with a pop of color. For a longer lasting paint job, safely strip existing coating first to ensure you are receiving the best results. You can count on EZ Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper to get the removal job done quickly and efficiently!
03 Just a Splash
Painting over your plain white ceiling is a subtle way to add color to any room. Dining and living rooms are the perfect spots for ceiling color, especially with a trayed ceiling or decorative molding that separates the new paint color from the walls. Though painting your ceiling can be a DIY painting project, make sure you have the right tools and patience to complete your project!
04 Let's Add Some Fun
Dry Erase Paint will give you unlimited color options for a DIY writing and drawing surface in your home. Any kitchen, home office, or studio would be the perfect spot for a colorful dry-erase surface to help you stay organized or be more creative. Turn a piece of furniture, a section of your wall or door, into a colorful dry-erase board with just a few coats of paint.
05 Chalk It Out
Imagine the possibilities for your home when you try a chalkboard paint DIY project. Chalkboard paint can be used on walls, inside cabinet doors, and even on furniture. With the advances in chalkboard paint, you can now get it in most paint colors too!
06 Bright and Bold
Updating your front door with a bright paint color is the top curb appeal booster for your home. Front door color inspiration can come from your garden, your home's architectural style, or your interior décor. Once you've chosen your color, you'll want to make sure you have the tools and the instructions for this DIY project before you begin. For a longer-lasting paint job, safely strip existing coatings first! My favorite safer stripper is EZ Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper!
07 Unexpected Dimension
Your furniture doesn't have to be an heirloom or designer piece to be stylish. Laminate furniture can be transformed with paint. You can paint your laminate furniture in one great color, try a color-block design, or even a pattern.
08 Trendy Accents
Everyone knows that accent walls are one of the easiest ways to transform any room with color. Adding an accent wall is a simple way to add an accent color to a tired color palette, or add a focal point to a room without any architectural features. Any color can be used for your accent wall DIY paint project, but be sure to plan out your color palette first so that you can tie everything together.
09 It's Time for a Makeover!
Most two-story homes have a small bathroom downstairs that was designed for convenience. Though this bathroom may not be used exclusively by guests, there is no reason not to express your dramatic side by creating a stunning powder room.
The fun of decorating this tiny bathroom is that it is the one room in your home that doesn't have to "look bigger." You can choose whatever paint color you like as long as you have the right lighting. Powder rooms are where you can express your style without a thought to the rest of the house. Choose a favorite color, replace a boring mirror with a pretty framed one, and add decorative accents for a simple bathroom makeover.
10 Mix and Match
Throw pillows are the quickest and easiest way to add a pop of color or pattern to any room. More than an afterthought, throw pillows are the finishing touch when you decorate a room. If you want to totally customize your space, try the throw pillow stencil designs from paintapillow.com. With their unique system, choice of modern and romantic designs, and fabric paint color selection, you can create a completely customized style at home.
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Spring is here and we're all feeling the itch to wipe away the winter dust so to speak. But we all have those tougher clean-up tasks we've been putting on hold. Here are some of the top tough cleaning tasks with some tips to help get the job done this Spring.
1 Oven Cleaning
Oven cleaning falls into the out of sight out of mind category sometimes. Keep in mind a dirty oven can transfer unpleasant odors and flavors to your food so not the best task to put off. If you have a self-cleaning oven, it is perfectly acceptable to use it if the oven is only slightly dirty. After around two hours, you are left with white ash in the bottom of the oven that you must clean away once the oven unlocks and is cool.
If your oven is very dirty with baked-on food, the self-cleaning feature will not work well. Too much grease and food residue can smoke and even catch fire. You should never leave home with the self-cleaning function engaged. The best way to clean an oven for you will depend on the kind of ingredients you'd like to use, and how dirty your oven is to start. Commercial oven cleaners can be quite harsh. Here is our recommendation for a safe removal option: EZ Strip All Purpose Remover.
2 Re-Paint the Front Door
If you were to ask any paint manufacturer, "is painting best done when the weather is mild outside, typically above 10°C and not too humid?" They would say "YES!" If your front door has seen better days, it might be a good time to give it a fresh coat of paint. For best results, remove the door from the hinges and remove all of its hardware. Give it a good cleaning to allow the paint to adhere properly, and scrape off any buildups of paint or areas where the old paint is chipping off. For multiple thick/damaged paint layers, try a DIY-friendly paint stripper to give your door a long-lasting paint job.
Please note that traditional paint strippers can be very toxic and require special protective equipment. Our recommendation is EZ Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper. If your home was built before 1979, check the paint for lead before you scrape or sand. For more information, go to health-canada/lead-based-paint
3 Tune-Up Outdoor Gas Grills
No matter what your recipe is, the best burgers are cooked on a clean, well-maintained grill. Before cookout season kicks off, give your grill a once-over. Look for food drippings and grease buildup on the exterior grill. Scrub these spots clean with warm soapy water to avoid attracting pests. Clean the grates and interior thoroughly to remove any drippings and grease. A shop vacuum can work great to remove burnt food from the bottom interior of the BBQ. For very dirty BBQ grates, soak them in EZ Strip All Purpose Remover before scrubbing with warm water. Finally, clean the drip pan thoroughly with warm, soapy water.
4 Community Graffiti Removal
You've been looking at the same ugly graffiti every day in your community on your commute to work and it's finally warm enough to do something about it. Leaving graffiti can encourage more property damage. Removing it quickly it can discourage repeat offenders. Getting a few neighbors together for a walk around the neighborhood to clean up graffiti can go a long way. Improve curb/community appeal even increase property values. Some graffiti removers can be very smelly and even cause mild skin burns when used without protective gloves.
Is your outdoor wood furniture starting to splinter, fade, or peeling paint? Then it’s time to get those repairs in before the summertime fun begins! If it is not properly treated for water damage prevention, the project will just be more work later. For damaged water sealants or peeling paint, always strip off the damaged coating. This will ensure you are getting the proper coating adhesion to protect your wood from water, weather, pests, and wood rot. It also protects you and your family from splinters ouch! For safe DIY furniture refinishing, we recommend EZ Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper.
As the weather starts to warm up, we get more and more distracted with Summer fun! Take this perfect opportunity to clean up winter messes and the tough projects you've been putting off. Save Summer for fun in the sun and use this time to get these Spring clean up projects done before it’s too hot!
If you haven't heard about the most effectively advanced environmentally-friendly removal technologies provided by EZ Strip®, here's the quick rundown.
Company Mission
EZ Strip’s mission is to provide safe alternatives to hazardous solvents used for stripping, cleaning, and surface preparation using the most advanced, patented, water-based technology. We are also interested in educating consumers, trade and industry about hazardous solvents, and how to use safer, effective alternatives.
Company Background
EZ Strip® has been involved in the industrial paint stripping business since 1972. Up until 1998, the main paint strippers and cleaners on the market were extremely toxic, carcinogenic, and hazardous for consumer health. This made Do-It-Yourself and even Professional projects difficult to do without exposing yourself to harmful fumes and toxins. In 1998, Eco Solutions, our UK parent company which had prior to this time used common hazardous stripping chemicals developed a safe alternative formula for industrial paint stripping. EZ Strip® has brought this innovative formula to North America and will continue to provide safe and effective alternatives to hazardous stripping chemicals and meet the needs of North Americans everywhere.
Removal Products
EZ Strip's product line was developed to meet all our customer's removal needs with effective environmentally friendly options. Here are EZ Strip's most popular removal products. For the full product line list and where to buy links visit EZstripProducts
EZ Strip® All Purpose Remover
The All-In-One tough remover you need for cleaning paint mess, glue & tape residues, stickers, baked-on grease, garage grease, graffiti, decals, gum, tree sap, and much more! EZ Strip® has developed an effective easy to use remover that cleans up with just water, is gentle on skin, and has no harsh fumes.
EZ Strip® Paint & Varnish Stripper
The ultimate safe paint stripper developed with water-based removal technology. Strip all kinds of paint, varnish, lacquer, water and grout sealant, floor wax, and much more effectively from various surfaces. EZ Strip's Paint & Varnish Stripper easy to use removal formula clings to vertical surfaces and cleans up with just water. This low VOC formula is gentle on skin, and has no harsh fumes.
EZ Strip® Popcorn Ceiling Remover
Painted popcorn ceiling texture removal is now DIY-friendly with our dust free removal formula. EZ Strip® Popcorn Ceiling Remover is specifically designed to remove painted drywall textures made with drywall mud. This includes most drywall textures like popcorn, swirl, stomp, orange peel, acoustic ceilings, etc. This removal formula is tinted blue and clings 100% to surfaces for easy application. EZ Strip® cleans up with just water, is gentle on skin, and has no harsh fumes.
EZ Strip® Graffiti Remover
Finally, a graffiti removal option that is safe to use in public spaces! Remove most types of spray paint, permanent markers & ink, decals & stickers, crayons, gum and just tough sticky stuff! Our advanced patented formula can be used effectively on most surfaces. Get the dirty removal jobs done safely. EZ Strip® Graffiti Remover is an easy-to-use convenient no-drip spray gel with a plant safe formula that cleans up with just water. Gentle on skin with no harsh fumes!
EZ Strip® Adhesive & Glue Remover
Need a glue remover that is effective AND safe to use? EZ Strip® Adhesive & Glue Remover gets the tough removal jobs done and unlike other glue removers has a low VOC skin-safe formula that cleans up with just water! Remove most types of contractor grade adhesive & glue residues, decals & stickers, tape residues, liquid nail, tree sap, gum, and much more.
The Truly Safer Removal Option
EZ Strip’s advanced water-based technology surpasses our competition with professional performance and low environmental impact. Our removal formulas are water-soluble and biodegradable. We are committed to sourcing components from local suppliers
EZ Strip® delivers leading world-patented technology designed to target the molecular bond between the coating and the surface. This process allows EZ Strip® to effectively remove most coatings from surfaces with no chemical reaction causing harmful fumes to be released from the coating during the removal process. Our easy-to-use, convenient no-drip gel tackles even the toughest stripping tasks. Unlike traditional strippers, EZ Strip® is the safer option for indoor and outdoor use around children, pets and plants!
THANK YOU FOR READING!
Learn more about EZ Strip® and where to buy here EZstrip.ca. If you would like to read more blog posts like this be sure to subscribe to our blog at EZstripBlog.
