Which one should you get? The debate between buying a heat gun or an infrared paint stripper is a question a lot of folks have been asking these days as this new technology has begun getting more attention and, it’s one worth asking if you have a lot of paint to strip particular lead paint on old houses.
It’s no secret that paint becomes easier to remove as it is heated. In the old days, painters used to use torches to literally burn the old paint off of buildings which made scraping extremely easy. Of course, the use of a torch also caused a lot of unnecessary house fires, not to mention the fact that burning paint at that high of a temperature vaporizes the lead paint causing serious health issues for all involved.
Besides figuring out which tool you should buy, understanding how to use the tools most effectively is a real challenge for a lot of DIYers and even some pros. n this post I want to teach you not only what to buy, but how to sue them the right way to get the best results.
Heat Gun Basics
Before we get into infrared paint strippers let’s do a quick primer on heat guns. This OG of paint stripping, besides the blow torch, has been around for close to 100 years now. The first true electric heat gun was developed by C.H. Kenney in 1934 when he received a patent for a device to soften and remove paint. The design has been refined over the years, but today’s models remain largely the same as the original devices.
A heat gun works by blowing air across a heating element inside the gun which is surrounded by an insulator to keep the tool safe to handle. The original guns featured asbestos as the insulator, but modern tools use a variety of insulators.
Heat guns heat up the layers of paint starting with the top layer and gradually over time working down to the base layer. The warm air softens the paint making it easier to remove from the substrate. Heat guns are effective on almost any substrate like wood, metal, masonry, and plaster. Don’t try using a heat gun directly on glass or plastic as you’ll likely end up with broken glass or melted plastic.
Heat Gun Costs
One of the big advantages of heat guns is their low price and market saturation. They are everywhere! Almost any hardware store or big box store will have a multitude of models to choose from. You can expect to find pricing like below.
- $15 to $25 for basic models
- $25 to $50 for models with temperature controls
- $50 to $100 for premium models with different fittings
- Up to $200 for battery powered deluxe models
Heat Gun Pros & Cons
Low prices and easy access are the big advantages we talked about. For basic projects with just a few layers of paint a heat gun is usually the best choice especially if the building was built after 1978 which alleviates any lead paint concerns.
Small detail work is also a good fit for a heat gun since you can adjust the nozzle to very specific angles and get into crevices more easily than larger paint strippers.
Where heat guns struggle is with larger projects where you need to strip a lot of paint from larger areas like doors, molding, and siding. They just don’t heat a large enough area to make the work feasible.
Heat guns are also not good to use on surfaces where there are many layers of old paint. Since they heat from the top down it can take multiple passes to get down to the wood on an old window that has 12-14 coats of paint.
Also, since most heat guns operate at temperatures above 900°F they are likely to vaporize lead paint which has serious health concerns. Because of this they are not a good option for older homes built before 1978 where lead paint is common. Unless you can get a variable temperature heat gun and keep the temp safely below that range you should avoid the risk of using a heat gun to strip lead paint.
Infrared Paint Strippers
Within the last 20 years infrared paint strippers have found their way into the paint stripping market as a safer and faster way to remove multiple layers of paint. According to BrightHub Engineering, ”Infrared heat pierces deep into the paint layers, due to which the paint layers are warmed, and can be removed easily.”
Rather than heating from the top down like heat guns an infrared paint stripper heats from the bottom up and at lower temperatures than heat guns. This result in lower temps and faster paint removal eliminates the chances of lead paint vaporizing which keeps users safer. This bottom up paint stripping also means that multiple layers of paint can be removed much faster than heat guns because once the bottom layer of paint is removed all the layers above come with it.
There are two types of infrared technology that effectively work the same. The first is ceramic plate and the second and is infrared glass bulbs. The ceramic plates need to be placed closer to the surface to work effectively usually less than 1/2” off the paint surface compared to infrared glass bulbs which work best at 3” to 4” above the surface.
The ceramic plate technology is far less fragile than the glass bulbs which can make it better for the rough and tumble jobsite or DIYer compared to the infrared glass bulb technology which currently produces high wattage, but is more prone to breakage and costs more than the ceramic.
Infrared Paint Stripper Costs
Infrared paint strippers are speciality tools not sitting on the shelves of most local paint or hardware stores which makes them hard to find outside of the online marketplace. Pricing can also be considerably more than heat guns for this premium product.
Most tools on the market made by Speedheater and Silent Paint Remover use the infrared glass bulb technology, except for the IR Paint Stripper which uses the ceramic plate technology. Prices are higher than traditional heat guns ranging from $139 to $599 for these premium tools.
Let’s dive into how and when to use each of these infrared paint stripping tools.
IR Paint Stripper
The most affordable infrared paint stripper on the market is by far the IR Paint Stripper. In full disclosure, I am biased in favor of this particular tool as I helped design and refine it to meet my needs as a professional window restorer. I needed something more affordable, something I could get for everyone on my team that works just as fast as the more expensive tools.
It is light and easy to use, featuring a collapsible handle to make transporting easier. The ceramic plate is also far more impact resistant than the glass bulb technology, though it is certainly not immune to abuse.
The original version was 400W but was upgraded in 2024 to 500W, which was much needed for faster paint stripping. The ceramic plate design throws off a lot of people because unlike the glass bulb strippers, the plate doesn’t glow red when it is warm enough and ready for use. Just give the tool two minutes after turning it on to reach its working temperature for the most effective use.
Best Use & Techniques
The IR Paint Stripper is designed and most effective for stripping paint and glazing putty from windows, doors and trim due to its dimensions (10.5” x 2”). It excels on flat surfaces, but struggles with small, very detailed areas.
Unlike a heat gun or glass bulb infrared heater, the IR Paint Stripper is designed to be placed directly on the surface you intend to strip. Rest the tool directly on the surface for 10-15 seconds and then scrape immediately while the paint is soft.
The challenge is that you can’t really see the paint bubbling underneath the tool while it heats so many people pull it off too soon. Best practices in my extensive use of the IR Paint Stripper is to wait about 3 seconds, until you see a small amount of smoke coming from the surface.
This smoke does not indicate vaporizing lead or too much heat. There are elements in any paint that will begin to smoke slightly as it is heated far before you reach the 900ºF point, which is when lead begins to vaporize. This tool consistently keeps surface temps in the 400ºF to 500ºF range, and this is well below the danger zone for lead.
If any paint sticks to the surface of the ceramic plate, it’s easiest to lightly scraping it off while the element is hot. The paint comes off very easily in an almost powder like consistency. A build up of paint on the element will negatively affect its stripping power so keeping it clean is imperative.
Speedheater Standard 1100
The Original Speedheater Standard is the largest of these tools and excels at stripping siding, especially with the flexi-arm system. The heavy weight of this tool makes it difficult to work with all day, unless you are using a the flexible-arm or stripping horizontal surfaces where you can let gravity do the work.
Power-wise it is slightly more powerful than the IR Paint Stripper, and runs two 550W glass bulbs, which is where it gets the 1100 in its name (550 + 550 = 1,100). While the tool itself is large, the heating area is only marginally larger than the IR Paint Stripper at 3” x 11”.
The design of this tool holds it about 3-4 inches away from the surface with the integrated metal spacing fins resulting in a slower cycle time of 20-60 seconds before the paint is ready to scrape, which is 2-4 times longer than the IR Paint Stripper.
Best Use & Techniques
With its higher price and slower performance, the best sue case for the Speedheater Standard 1100 is to use it along with the flexi-arm system to strip wood siding of paint. The hands-free option this provides allows me to effectively strip a lot of siding very quickly without harsh chemicals or holding the Cobra or IR Paint Stripper all day on a vertical surface which is simply exhausting.
Speedheater Cobra
A favorite of window restorers, the Speedheater Cobra is a small but mighty infrared tool that delivers an impressive 700W of power, and it is light enough to work with on a work bench most of the day. Its compact heating face of only 3.5” x 2.8” is much smaller than any of the other infrared paint strippers on the market.
It’s small size means the IR Paint Stripper is 220% larger and the Speedheater Standard 1100 is 347% larger than the Cobra.
Best Use & Techniques
The flexible handle combined with the small heating element makes this tool a rockstar when stripping small or extremely detailed areas where you can’t rest tool on the surface like with the first two infrared tools above.
Due to its 700W power it heats quickly, usually in just 3-7 seconds. It should be held 1-3 inches above the surface. Any closer and you run the risk of setting paint on fire, which I have done on occasion. While it is fast, it takes a careful user to avoid issues like scorching the wood or breaking glass if you’re not careful.
Use on balusters, intricate woodwork, multi-pane window sash when paired with a detailed profile scraper is a the places where I love using this tool.
Speedheater Rapid Slim
I’ll be rife on this tool because frankly I have yet to find a purpose for it. At 11.5″ x 2.5″ it’s only slightly smaller than the Speedheater Standard 1100 tool, while delivering the same 550 x 2 power as the Standard. I don’t really have a case in which this tool would make sense for me.
It costs marginally more, heats marginally less, and while it’s lighter than the Speedheater Standard 1100, I would still not see a need for it. Maybe you have a need but, as for me, I’ll pass.
Silent Paint Remover
This tool has a bit of a checkered past, but I felt it was worth mentioning because I know some people will ask. It is basically a rip off of the original Speedheater Standard 1100. The specs and price are almost identical.
What sets it apart from the Speedheater models? Nothing in my mind so if I want a Speedheater style infrared paint stripper than I would rather give my business to the company who invented the tool rather than company who copied and ripped off the design, but that’s just me.
Which Tool is Fastest?
This is where most folks get confused. Everyone wants the fastest paint removal and we’re all impatient, I get it. So what’s the answer? This requires a bit of clarification on what you are stripping. I’ve categorized my answers because it really depends
- Windows & Doors: IR Paint Stripper
- Intricate Details: Speedheater Cobra
- Siding: Speedheater Standard 1100
- Standard Trim: IR Paint Stripper
Let me explain a bit. Since the Speedheater Cobra houses 700W, it will strip paint from an area faster than any of these tools, but size matters (as they say). In my testing, and I have timed this, I can strip a window sash faster with an IR Paint Stripper than with a Speedheater Cobra.
The size makes a difference in this way: At 700W, compared to 500W, the Cobra is 40% faster than the IR Paint Stripper, but at 9.5” square inches compared to 21” square inches, it is also 55% smaller than the IR Paint Stripper. This has proven itself time and again in my testing.
So, as the old saying goes, use the right tool for the right purpose. Which tool should you buy? Use the guide above, and depending on what surface you are stripping, keep in mind the power and size differences of all these tools. This will really affect your production times, and with the correct tool, you will be stripping paint faster than ever before.
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
I love old houses, working with my hands, and teaching others the excitment of doing it yourself! Everything is teachable if you only give it the chance.
I need to paint on my breadboard ceiling. Will this IR device work upside-down?
Yes it works fine in any orientation.
Sorry, reposting my comment because I accidentally left it as a reply to someone else.
I’m currently a DIY-er with a previous few years experience contracting—I know enough to be dangerous, and I know enough to know how much I don’t know.
We just bought a house with some textured cedar siding, which is about 30-35 years old. The siding is starting to delaminate. I’m hoping that stripping off the paint, using some wood restoration products, and then using a lighter product (e.g. solid body stain) will help extend the life of the siding. I’m wondering what method you’d recommend to strip off the paint? IR paint strippers seem better for large surface areas, but I’ve read (and you seem to hint at here) that IR paint strippers work better on more historic homes with many layers of paint. Conversely, heat guns work better when there are fewer layers of paint, but aren’t a good fit for siding given the square footage involved.
Would you recommend either of these approaches for this project, or some other approach? Thanks I’m advance!
Will the IR paint stripper work well on a late 1800s painted iron fence?
Hi Alchemy! It should work on your fence. Here is a video of Scott demonstrating the removal of paint from a window sash using the IR Paint Stripper.
-The Austin Historical Team
I have a question – house built in 1890 – several rooms have shiplap walls, and wooden windows and doors, and I believe the IR paint stripper will be perfect to remove multiple layers of paint there. but in the bedrooms, sheetrock was installed sometime in the 60s or 70s, and multiple layers of latex paint were applied, and is bubbling up in many areas. I’d like to get back down to the original sheetrock and start over. will the IR paint stripper be safe to use there without damaging the underlying sheetrock? please advise. thanks!
In my experience with my 1895 built Victorian, the short answer is yes.
You will likely need an assortment of blade shapes, unless you are skilled or can find a machinist to craft you something specific for the profile. A brass (not steel) wire brush can also be used to remove the softened paint from a complex shape surface.
There is a learning curve and it is not “quick and easy”, but it can be done without having a craftsman’s hand skills.
Does the IR paint stripper make stripping paint on the profiles of old windows and doors possible without ruining the profile?
See my reply above.