Dumond Complete Paint Removal Test Kit - Find the Right Paint Remover for Your Project - Kit Includes 8oz Samples of Peel Away 1, Smart Strip Advanced, & Smart Strip PRO, Laminated Paper & Accessories

This kit is great for determining which paint remover to use.I tried a variety of paint removers from Big Box Home stores and local hardware but I wasn't happy with the results. Removal was "spotty" and required multiple applications. Sometimes it lifted the grain of the wood.With this kit I was able to "zero in" on the product that worked best, "SmartStrip Pro". The kit includes everything needed for trial: 3 types of remover, cover paper, application brushes, plastic scrapers, protective gloves, scrubbing pad.I've since purchased more SmartStrip Pro to continue the project. It's easy to apply, works great, and clings to vertical surfaces (has the consistency of sour cream). The old paint sticks to the cover paper when removed after setting for several hours. There's no obnoxious fumes or smell. The only downside is the expense of the product, roughly 2 to 3 times the cost of conventional strippers, or about $60 per gallon plus shipping for 10 pounds.

We live in a 1950s home with original woodwork and have been fighting a losing battle trying to find a product that will strip these old doors. The products from the hardware store took 3-4 coats, got gummy and stuck in the milled pieces, and would still never remove that blue base layer.Then I had someone suggest to me that the paint might be lead- or oil-based. I had no idea strippers were formulated for different types of paint. Well, this test kit confirms it!Instructions were clear and simple to follow. Product appeared to have been previously opened, but contents were all present and undisturbed so, no harm no foul. The Peel Away fumes were the strongest and least pleasant of the bunch, but remained contained to the product/work area. I felt perfectly comfortable working in my basement. Results were amazing and conclusive! I'll definitely be ordering a mega sized tub of the Peel Away after this.Overall, highly recommended!

As said in the headline...following directions and patience are needed and remember, every situation is different.- Our application for the test kit was in a 129yo home, BUT the original staircase (or at least part of it) was redesigned and rebuilt somewhere between the 1920s-40s due to a fire and subsequent addition to the home. We know for a fact that the paint layers are at least 75yo.- We confirmed, though it was safe to assume, that multiple layers of lead paint were on the balusters and newel posts.- For testing, I designated vertical sections of one side of a newel post that can't be seen well and sectioned a portion of a baluster's flat decorative support piece that is between the balusters and the handrail. I made these choices so that the testing would include portions of the wood which had hardly-distinguishable delicate carvings and various designs, knowing that I would have to tackle all of these at some point if stripping to the bare wood.- Just FYI, ONLY TWO brushes came with our kit, though the info and the labeling on the box said THREE would be in it. (If they have changed to include only two, since the Peel Away 1 is so thick and I can't imagine using a brush to apply it...but I like it when a company includes what they say they are including!). UPDATE re: brushes. a few days later...The new kit and the info online DO say only TWO brushes, but our box was an old one and older online info said three brushes. So, we got what is included in the new kit, but in an old box. A relatively small matter, BUT I wanted to set the facts straight.- I applied the Smart Strip and Smart Strip Pro with the brushes. HEADS-UP if you are applying vertically as I had to do, it is tricky as it's like thick jello or jam, and gravity is real folks! Be PATIENT and I found blobbing it on with a gloved hand help build it up. Slow, but it worked better. The plastic scraper was 'ok' to apply the Peel Away 1, as it is more like wet drywall compound. HOWEVER, to get it into the nooks and crannies, I had to use the gloved hand again to do so.- COVER THE FLOOR beneath you if you are working in situ. Thankfully, we still have nasty old carpet on the stairs so though my covering was not large enough, it didn't hurt anything.- Removal...well, for the Smart Strip and Smart Strip Pro, both took off some of the top layers (last painted in 1985ish maybe and before that it was '72 for sure.) That was a mess, but I wasn't surprised after removing old paint from furniture etc. The Peel Away 1 took us down to the wood, but didn't stick to the paper well and come off as in the adverts. HOWEVER, I had one piece of paper over all three samples, so the areas over the SS formulas was sticky and may have effected how the PA1 would come off. ALSO, it WASN'T a flat surface like a wall, table or door. The PA1 became a hard piece of all the layers of paint in chunks which I could remove.- I have now put PA1 on the entire newel post and area of the baluster that I tested, hoping that will get me down to the pair wood on both of those sections so we have a real idea of what we are working with.- What I would do differently in testing or additional notes? • Do not try to separate your 3 test areas simply by a piece of tape is areas are narrow...that made it harder for me in my situation • Make sure the floor/area below where I'm working is covered if in situ. • Have extra gloves ready. • Have your paper already cut to size and ready to put over the formulas as recommended BEFORE you start applying the solvents. • Have good lighting (I was on a stairwell and it was tough/well prepare better when do more work there) • Have a good attitude knowing this is not an easy task and is hard work even with good products • USE A THICK ENOUGH LAYER folks! • Be prepared with appropriate tools to get into design work for cleaning nooks and crannies post- removal • Be prepared for the washing off stage with old towels, pans, plastic covering...whatever you need for your situation as it's messy.- I am thankful for a product that can removed the layers and layers of old paint without the sanding and dangerous lead paint removal. We aren't sure if the wood will be nice enough looking to leave as-is, BUT we can start fresh if need to repaint. Hoping we can work with what's there, but at least we can remove what's there safely!Sorry so long...hope this helps someone!

Dumond is absolutely my new favorite brand of paint stripper. All of these products were so much better than the ones I usually buy from the box box hardware stores. I had probably 8 layers of paint to remove from a variety of wood surfaces. The top coat was a thick layer of exterior paint and below was a mix of enamel and lead. All 3 products worked well but given the paint I had, the Peel Away 1 was amazing. It removed EVERYTHING! In the picture, from top down then left to right the upper 9 patches are SmartStrip Advanced, SmartStrip Pro, and Peel Away 1 at 19 hrs, 27 hrs, and 49 hrs covered with the Dumond paper. The bottom two rows of test patches were the SmartStrip Advanced and Pro without the paper at 6, 19, and 32 hours. I live in a dry climate and it dries out too quickly without the paper. never had a paint stripper that got so cleanly down to bare wood and in only coat! I've since ordered 10 gallons to complete my projects. The smart strip products still removed almost all of the paint and smelled lovely but required more work on my part to scrape. I think they would do really well on the newer paints for which they're intended.

It is a good product that is easy to apply and remove. However if you are applying to a house or product with high lead paint content it stops removing paint at that layer. I used it on columns of a home that was constructed in the 1840's. The paint was about 6 layers thick. The first application was applied and left on for about 20 hours. The top five layers peeled right off. The base layer was not even effected. I did another application on a different column and left the product on for 48 hours. Same results, first five layers came right off.