History of the Speedheater System
Removing paint using infra-red technology has been developed over a number of years by a company called Fasadteknik (Facade technique) in Sweden. The company was formed in 1985 and primarily undertook contract work on house and building exterior renovation. Since 1991, the company has worked on developing, manufacturing and selling the technology for the removal of paint from wooden surfaces using infrared heat. The company is now known as Speedheater System AB.
Initially the company worked on mainly large commercial projects and their infrared paint removers were large industrial units. Recently they have produced the Speedheater 1100, a DIY model, now offered for the first time in New Zealand.
Their business concept is to provide the market for both building professionals and “DIYérs”, with products that are cost effective, easy to implement and environmentally friendly and which produce high-quality results.
They have many agents worldwide selling their products across Europe and America.
History of i-Strip Australasia Ltd
We re-located an old double bay villa from Dannevirke to the Kapiti Coast and have been slowly renovating it. The exterior was in need of repainting as it had been repainted so often the layers of paint were thick and had an orange peel appearance to them. We knew the paint would have to be stripped off. After initial tests confirmed that there was lead paint present we searched high and low and contacted many experts to ask what the best and safest method was to remove the lead paint.
We got a mixed response, which included sanding with a respirator on. We knew sanding was not going to be an option as just by sanding the fascias before putting up new spouting we burned through one sanding tool. We also got some quotes from leading chemical stripping companies but this option was far too expensive (quotes were $3000 – $4000 – just for the chemicals) and we were not keen on the hazardous nature of these products.
We found the Speedheater 1100 via the internet on a website for the American renovation programme “This Old House”. They had tested and compared numerous paint removal methods and found the Speedheater 1100 to be the most effective. We were sceptical at first, could the product really be that good? If it was as good as it claimed, then why was it not already here in the land of wooden houses! We did further investigations and proved the concept on the side of our house. The infrared method produced remarkable results. As it was heated the many thick layers of paint bubbled into a large bubble that simply scraped off right down to the wood, not damaging it and leaving a smooth surface. We realised instantly that this was going to be the answer to all our problems.
As renovators we wanted a method that would allow us to do-it-ourselves when we had spare time and a method that would be quick, clean and easy.
We realised that this could also be the answer to other people’s problems and decided to approach the manufacturers directly to start importing and distributing the product. We have been to Sweden and met the inventor. We have seen the production plant and been taught how the product works and been trained in servicing the product. We now bring infrared paint removal technology to New Zealand so you can benefit from this cost effective, safe, easy and environmentally friendly method.
Good luck with your renovations!