Tricky gloss paint stripping! Help please :)

[ThePresh]

Untitled

• ThePresh
• 18 Feb 2014
• 1

My hatred of white gloss holds no end, unfortunately the previous owners loved the stuff! It is every where! And as we are wanting to turn the whole house upsidedown and strip it right back to it's roots and start again for as little cost as possible, I'm taking on all the work I can and starting by getting rid of this gloss!

It covers every door, skirting board, dado railing, windowsill, stair case... you're getting the picture! In the past I have simply scrapped it off and peeled it with some elbow grease and painted over, but that was on flat surfaces with already peeling old paint.

I am unsure of how to go about this project, it was painted less than a year ago and as you can see from the picture there's some tight corners etc, and the paint is very thick! I am wanting the wood underneath in perfect condition as it will all be getting stained and left as is. Obviously I'd prefer a quicker method than sanding down by hand as there's so much to do, but the main concern is having the wood underneath un harmed! Any replacing is going to cost.

Any help or advise would be muchly appreciated

 

[kbdiy]

Heat gun or blow torch would be the quickest and cheapest. Paint stripper will be more expensive and long-winded.

The chances of getting back to wood that can be stained and still look good are doubtful, as it will depend on how many coats have to come off and what treatment was done before.

 

[ThePresh]

Thanks kbdiy.

I was a little put off by the heat gun for the chance of it scorching? Although it will be a dark stain I'll be using, I was thinking that may cover any little mishaps?

I have a funny feeling it was dark before as it was knocked while moving and the paint chipped and it looks like it was stained underneath.

I take it there is no magic treatment on the market that you paint on and rub off and the paint comes off?

 

[emilybronte]

No, sadly, there is no magic treatment.

Do we assume these spindles are original to the house and thus worth saving? If not, I would ditch them, buy new ones and oil them. Job sorted.

If original, I would seriously consider getting a joiner to take apart the whole banister and then have the spindles dipped (or dip them yourself - I can tell you how). Trying to burn/scrape all the paint off by yourself, even with a hot air gun...that way madness lies.

I guess it depends on how much you value your time, but it would probably be cheaper (and more fun) to work in a local pub on a minimum wage, save up and pay for dipping, than to waste many, many hours of your life for an imperfect result. You will end up hating that banister for ever.

 

[ThePresh]

Haha thanks emilybronte! I am under the assumption they are original, I've just scraped a bit more off and it turns out everything that has been glossed was originally dark stained!Gutted.

I already have 2 jobs and with my partners wage and the 2.5k mortgage a month we've got a lot of work to do with not a lot of money to play with as there's going to be major constructional work being done we just can't scrimp on, every savings counts. Do know how much roughly a joiner would cost?

I've also found in the past I am happier with my results than professionals when it comes to painting and decorating, but that wasn't paint stripping!

 

[Chri5]

You may well find a layer of lead paint, vent well and use an electric hot air gun.

You will loose an hour plus of your life prepping each one. So if an hour of your time is worth more than the cost of replacement then consider getting some new ones. A turner might be able to give you a half sensible quote to make up identical new ones on bulk.

The other way would be to take them all out and get them dipped via a local stripper.

So would gentle removal and re fit time plus £3 a spindle dipping time be the most viable?

It's all down to locality and your skills, and I don't know that.

 

[emilybronte]

Would dipping necessarily remove the dark stain/varnish underneath?

If not, I would be very tempted to paint them again but in a lovely subtle shade and in an eggshell finish. Preferably Little Greene.

What's the reason for having them back to the bare wood?

 

[Chri5]

Dipping normally gets everything off, sometimes too much (I've seen 1900s doors come back and the cow gum on the joins has gone

 

[kbdiy]

The only downside to removing the spindles and having them dipped is that the remainder of the stairs/woodwork can't be treated in the same way, so you could be left with significantly differing finishes, which will look terrible.

As suggested above, rather than take on so much work perhaps painting in a different colour/shade might be a better way to go?