Sanding down gloss paint

[MarcMCFC1986]

I sanded the skirting boards a few days ago, but to be honest I did a half-arsed job of one section of it - as the sofa's are going up against that area. We repainted them yesterday, however I'm now getting it in the neck from the Mrs now and she wants them doing properly in case we ever move the sofas in the future.

So, I need to go back and sand down the skirting board so it is completely smooth - but having only painted them with gloss yesterday I'm just wondering how long I should wait before the paint is able to be sanded. It's touch dry now, but I guess I need to wait until it has fully hardened before being able to sand it?

Thanks

 

[blup]

It will clog up sandpaper even when fully dried, so you could take a stripping knife to it now and sand the residue off after. Best to use a powered sander if you have it. Unless it is really bad, you don't have to go down to bare wood, lightly sanding with 120 grit paper should give a sufficient key to overpaint it.

Blup

 

[Chivas69]

First thing to do is hide the wife's whip.
Joking aside, I've been a professional decorator for 30 years and the only way to do this job is sit back with a couple of beers and wait for it to fully harden before sanding down and starting again. I'd recommend waiting at least 3 years!!!

 

[sparkwright]

Is this oil-based gloss?

(Water-based gloss isn't a problem.)

 

[opps]

As above, if it was waterbased, you can just rub it with cellulose thinners. It will start to soften immediately and you can use a plastic scraper.

If you have carpet then don't do the above. Just drag a sharp chisel over the surface, or even your fingernail.

If it is OB you can use a rough grade of paper. It will clog quickly though but don't let the soft paint land on the carpet, it may stick.