Stripping paint from sash window with filmed glass

[Lower]

Hi all,

I've made an error and had the old pebble glass in our bathroom sash window replaced with clear float glass with a sandblast effect film on the inside.

Looks great, but i've realised there is heavy paint build up on the inside of the sash and i really need to get back to bare wood and start again.

The problem is the film in that it is quite fragile. If i catch it with sandpaper it will mark. The film is plastic so using heat to burn the paint off as i've done on the window frame will be a problem too.

Any suggestions as to the best method to strip the paint? When the original glass was removed it has taken some of the paint off with it so whatever method i use i'm going to have to work right up to the glass.

My current plan is to mask off the glass with masking tape around the perimeter of the the glass (to give me a thin edge i can) sand up to and just sand the old paint away. But that's going to take some time as there's a lot of paint on there.

 

[LJW61]

Surely be easier to peel off the film and replace with new after the messy work !

 

[Lower]

The film was applied to the glass before the glass was put into the sash windows. So to take the film off the glass would have to come out which is what i'm trying to avoid.

 

[ColJack]

why? once sanded the film can be cut with a razor blade around the edge of the glass and the peeled off and replaced..

though taking the glass out will give a much nicer finish in the long run as you can get into the cracks that would be between the glass and the wood..

 

[Lower]

Well, I ended up covering the filmed glass with a piece of 20g steel and which seems to have acted as enough of a heat shield to prevent any damage to the film. Then i was very careful with the sandpaper and i think its going to be ok.....