What's the best way to strip paint off a wooden porch?

The paint on my wooden front porch is chipping and needs to be removed. I want to remove it and then stain the wood underneath with a translucent stain. What's the best way to remove the paint so i preserve the wood? Some recommend using a water pressure because it's fast and easy. But, wouldnt all the wood chips just fly everywhere and be a mess to clean up for my grass? Using goof off or a paint removal liquid seems like a long task since my porch is about 15x25 sq ft. Any suggestions?What's the best way to strip paint off a wooden porch?
Easiest way BUT not the cheapest would be to go to your local paint store and get yourself a five gallon bucket of ';Peel Away'; it will take multiple layers off at one shot. They will explain how it works for you or just put it in the computer peel away, they must have a site. Good luck Les the painterWhat's the best way to strip paint off a wooden porch?
Using a power washer will cause the wood to expand, and will possibly harm the finish.





Use a heat gun. You can get one at a hardware store. It looks like a heavy duty hair dryer. Heat up the paint, and scrape it off with a putty knife or standard scraper. It will take some work, but it will give you the best results.





Clean off the excess paint with some sort of solvent. Paint stripper works best. Be sure to follow the directions on the container.





You'll want to sand the deck to a smooth finish. There are all sorts of gadgets to do this, but an electric sander will probably give you the best results.
You are right, using pressurized water will be a huge mess, and the deck will have to be dried out before you apply anything else to it. It is unlikely that water would take all the old paint off anyway, and you'll still have to sand or scrape. Pressurized water can also splinter your wood, and you'll have to sand the fuzzy or splintered areas. I have used the chemical strippers, you basically paint them on, let it sit for awhile, scrape off the paint and the stripper. You could apply it with a roller to make the application faster. I'd say that is the way to go.