This pretty much sums up the reviews I've seen/heard...follow the directions and be patient...
Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:
OF COURSE it's "messy", people. It's a big bucket of chemical paint stripper. You slap it on thick and then scrape off layers of old paint. What did you expect? If you don't like "messy" then go pay the soulless clowns at your local boatyard $2000 to do it for you.
For everyone else, a review:
No, it does not quickly and easily remove 10 layers of bottom paint. I know because I've tried. But it works better than anything else I've used and I've tried a lot of them.
Still, I'm sure it depends on the paint or something. Beats me, not an expert.
And again, don't expect it to be quick and easy. It's not.
Some tips:
- Forget using some wimpy plastic paint scraper. Get yourself a thick, sturdy short-handled ice scraper for windshields.
- The makers say to use it between 60-80 degrees: believe them. Remember that this is a chemical reaction you're inducing here and - if you went to school back before it was transformed into group therapy for poster makers - you'll recall that temperature is an important element in any chemical reaction. If it's much over 80 degrees or much under 60 the stuff just doesn't work nearly as well.
- Yes, it dries out. Go get some really cheap, thin plastic dropcloth and when you're finished coating the boat, tape the stuff up over it, although usually it will just stick to it no problem. I've also used that Press & Seal plastic wrap stuff, which is good because you can do small areas and also uncover smaller areas at a time. Easier to use, too.
- If you've got many many layers, as I said, you'll probably need to re-coat, but even if you don't, when you get done scraping there's some residue. Take a big green kitchen scouring pad and lightly scrub the little sticky bits that haven't come off yet. Don't wait until later because it'll harden again. Do it while it's still soft. Comes right off.
- If you've got a layer of primer it probably won't come off with this, but a light sanding with 400 or 600 grit with water will ake that right up. Again, it's easier if you do it right away.
- If you use this with your boat on a trailer, make sure you cover any parts of the trailer that you don't want the paint removed from. Those big globs of old paint that you're scraping off still contain enough stripper to quickly mess up your trailer paint. Take it from someone who once ended up having to repaint a trailer.
- As several people mentioned, it can be a challenge to get it on thick enough, and it needs to be thick. Use a medium sized brush more or less like a spatula. Smear it on rather than brush like you would your walls.
- No two applications are the same. The first time you use it you'll go racing out after it's been on a couple of hours and be very disappointed when absolutely nothing comes up. I always plan for it to be on for 24 hours, and I've left it on as much as 48. As long as it's covered with plastic, it'll be fine.
Be realistic, plan ahead for the mess, and above all be patient and figure out what works best in your particular application. Yours wil not be the same as anyone else's.
All I can say is that it DOES work, it works better than anything else I've tried and I bet it will work for you too.
