layers of paint on woodwork

[madonnafan]

Hi,been sneaking on here for DIY tips and have decided to become a member.
Moved into an awful rented house (has potential but single mum-money tight!!)
My next project is the hall,stairs and landing.
The first problem will be that there is 3 layers of wallpaper which really annoys me!!
An old guy was the last to live here (15 yrs) and I dont think he had a clue and certainly didnt believe in good old fashioned preparation!
I will be making posts on here forever to get it off my chest and asking for help/ideas all round the house!!

The top coat on the woodwork is emulsioned for starters, in bits and bats!!!
There's 25 diff colours going on under there!!
The basis of this post is.......
Would it be easy to remove so much paint to get down to the bare or is it going to be a real pain of a job?
Would I be better off (I hate the thought!) of doing some light sanding and glossing?

I have 4 kids and not much free time and dont wanna be still on this project when they leave home!!

Any help/ideas/tips most appreciated!

Sharon x

 

[2scoops0406]

Perhaps it would be better under decorating / painting section but hey, so what.

I would imagine that trying to get all that paint off will be very time consuming. Also, the fact that it has been painted in emulsion is not good in that you're not giving any new paint a sound base. I guess the best way around this, is a good sanding, re-prime the woodwork, then apply your chosen topcoat. As you've got 4 kids, I'd use a waterbased top coat (even though I hate the stuff) this is because it dries quickly, which is always a godsend around kids, it doesn't stink, and you can wash the brushes in the sink. If using the water based stuff, invest in a couple of synthetic bristle brushes, reduces the brushstrokes often associated with waterbased paint. Good luck.

Oh, if it's rented, you will probably need permission of the landlord, but also remember you don't want to be spending good cash on someone else's house!!

 

[madonnafan]

Eddie,
Thanks for that.
Looks like the dream in my head of lovely varnished wood is never going to be mine.
Better than the nightmare of getting all the layers of paint off I suppose!
Thanks for the mention about the brushes too as I painted my bathroom tiles and read the recommended brush type on the back of the tin and bought some.
I had never thought about it before but thats one to read before leaving the shop!

Thanks for the comment about the section.
Didnt click at first!
I was reading about woodwork in general then just posted without thinking about which section I was in!
Something to remember next time!

Sharon x

 

[2scoops0406]

Looks like the dream in my head of lovely varnished wood is never going to be mine.

Possibly not in this house, but who knows in the future As with a lot of painted woodwork, unless it is hard to replace or is of difficult to replace quality, it's often easier to replace it completely if you want to have a varnished wood look. Also, oiled or waxed wood seems more popular than varnished at the mo'

 

[Thermo]

if theres that many layers of paint then it probably goes back some time and some of it could be lead paint, so youd need to be careful when removing it.

 

[madonnafan]

Thanks for the info on the lead in the paint!
Talked to 'older generation' round here and the houses were built in 1950's.
A possibility that there could be lead paint somewhere under there then.
So light sanding,primer and topcoat it is then.
Thankyou to both of you.
I think I'll crack on with it now!!
Well,in a few days anyway!!

Sharon x