How to strip paint of cornice or repair it?????

[doris69]

I have a 'castleated' cornice with very thick layers of paint on. Some of this has come away from the original plaster 'flaked'. I started to pull this off and have used paintstripper on the parts which have not come off due to old age. The ony problem with this is when scapping the paintstripper and therefore the paint off it is taking the plaster underneath with it? I also tried a wire brush and sand paper but the problem with this is the plaster is softer than the paint!

Any ideas on an easier process to remove it or failing this a way to repair the gauging in the cornice?

 

[Magnolia Matt]

Sounds like you're not softening the paint enough. Sometimes its best to apply the stripper 4 - 5 times before going at it with the scraper. You dont have to be so heavy handed then. Patience on jobs like this saves time repairing later.