Paint Removal From Plaster Moulding

[Stepney]

Hi All,

I have a house dating back to around 1840 and I'm having problems with a beautiful plaster moulding going all around the living room (room size 5m x 4m). It's a mix of curves with some leaf detail but nothing too intricate but there is some depth of around 5mm between some of the leaves. Not sure when the moulding was installed as house went through a lot of floor and ceiling height changes around 1900

While I was stripping the paper off the walls using a steamer some of the paint on the moulding started to bubble and peel away revealing a perfectly clean base of the moulding. There are not too many layers of paint on it but when the paint is removed, there is enough of a step visible to notice the cleared area. When the paint is steamed it turns to some sort of elastic skin. When it dries it can be picked off. No idea what the underlying paint type is. I just know I put a coat of emulsion onto a previous coat of emulsion around 6 years ago.

So, plan was to get the steamer onto moulding but it proving to be a nightmare and causing the ceiling (a newly skimmed bare plaster one) to get too wet. The paint comes off with mixed results and some is not shifting at all but to say it is a pain in the butt is an understatement. I tried Peelaway 7 on a test area and it did absolutely nothing!!!!! I don't want to risk using Nitromors as I think it will be too harsh unless anyone thinks differently.

Anybody have any ideas on how to remove this stuff please as I'm now way behind schedule and about to go crazy?

Thanks.

 

[peaps2]

http://www.peelaway.co.uk/ is what I use and it's never failed.

Use 1 not 7 one is for oil based paint.

 

[Stepney]

Thanks for that. Have used it before but for really thick gloss.

Have done a small test on the non detailed part and it works.

Going to take a long time to do.

Any usage tips you've picked up please?

Thanks

 

[ZUNDAP]

If steam was doing the job right in the first place, then continue using steam. you can buy small...ish steamers, Aldi have some in stock right now at £15 or £17 i cant cant quite remember. All you will need then is a couple of plasterers small tools to get in to those finicky little places.

 

[peaps2]

steam didn't do the job, thats the whole point.

 

[joe-90]

All you will need then is a couple of plasterers small tools

Have you been peeping in the gents?

 

[Stepney]

Been a while but only just got around to trying a steamer. Bought an X5 mop thingy and tried the hand steamer part with the extender pipe. Gives a controlled directional blast of steam far better then wall paper stripper did.......and it worked a treat. Paint peels off and so much cleaner than the paint stripper. Reckon around 7 hours should see the job done.

Thanks to all for the advice and taking the time to reply.