Hey folks. I'm having a devil of a time trying to figure out the
best way to strip the moldings in my house. The idea is to strip all
the paint and underlying varnish off the wood to then retreat it as
exposed wood. I live in a 1923 Bungalow and the old Dug Fir trim
really is nice - some great tight grain is hiding under some not so
nice paint.
I've tried Peel Away 6 & 7, but it doesn't do much with the Varnish
layer. I also tried Star10 stripper, and it works pretty well, but
it's highly flammable (don't ask me how I know) and makes a terrible
mess.

Has anyone ever stripped the windows/doors/baseboards, etc. in their
home? I'd love to hear how you did it!

Thanks,
Jason



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On 04 Jun 2007 00:41:53 GMT, Jason ) wrote:

Hey folks. I'm having a devil of a time trying to figure out the
best way to strip the moldings in my house. The idea is to strip all
the paint and underlying varnish off the wood to then retreat it as
exposed wood. I live in a 1923 Bungalow and the old Dug Fir trim
really is nice - some great tight grain is hiding under some not so
nice paint.
I've tried Peel Away 6 & 7, but it doesn't do much with the Varnish
layer. I also tried Star10 stripper, and it works pretty well, but
it's highly flammable (don't ask me how I know) and makes a terrible
mess.

Has anyone ever stripped the windows/doors/baseboards, etc. in their
home? I'd love to hear how you did it!

Thanks,
Jason

I'm probably not much help. But here's what I did. On my front entry
door, I was able to use a heat gun for most of it. And a little zip
strip for the rest.

The side entry door was pretty much the same, 'cept more zip strip
since it's construction had more trim to it.

I did some interior doors too, but in those cases I took them outside
and used a product called "Kleen Kutter" which is a highly liquid
product that appears to be made mostly of Methylene Choride with some
other hot solvents mixed. If you get this stuff *DON'T USE IT IN THE
HOUSE*. That's some really nasty stuff but did a bang up job removing
the old varnish. Kleen Kutter also does a wonderful job on old paint
too.

On Jun 3, 7:41 pm, Jason ) wrote:
Hey folks. I'm having a devil of a time trying to figure out the
best way to strip the moldings in my house. The idea is to strip all
the paint and underlying varnish off the wood to then retreat it as
exposed wood. I live in a 1923 Bungalow and the old Dug Fir trim
really is nice - some great tight grain is hiding under some not so
nice paint.
I've tried Peel Away 6 & 7, but it doesn't do much with the Varnish
layer. I also tried Star10 stripper, and it works pretty well, but
it's highly flammable (don't ask me how I know) and makes a terrible
mess.

Has anyone ever stripped the windows/doors/baseboards, etc. in their
home? I'd love to hear how you did it!

Thanks,
Jason

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------------------- ----- ---- -- -

I agree with George Max. The old school chemical is Methylene Choride
and it will get the job done. Look specifially for a product with a
high percentage of this chemical if you want something effective.
There are alternatives out there but their only advantage is
envrionmental. None of them are as effective as MC. Some places may
have outlwawed it by now in which case you may be stuck with the
"green" alternative.

Take very seriously all warnings associated with the use of that
product. Do not expose family members, pets, or livestock. Wear long
sleeves, old clothes, heavy rubber gloves, and eye goggles.
Ventilation is a must. Use cardboard or newpapers to protect benches
or floors. The stuff is dangerous and you have been warned. Please
note that there are places with dip tanks that can remove your paint
for a fee. Look for furniture refinishers.

Use horses so the section being worked on is not touching anything
else while you are working on it. You goop it on, never brush it.
Put it on thick and leave it on for a certain amount of time but never
let it dry out. If it dries out another application will be
required. Put it over a measured area that you guess you can
complete before it dries. Scrapers and paper towels are used to get
the goop off. Then mineral spirits are used for the final cleanup on
the wood. If that doesn't get all of it off then it can be repeated
on the areas that remain.

I also agree with his heat gun suggestion. It is easy to scorch the
wood, however, which is a major downside. The really nice heat guns
are digital. Mine goes from 150 degree to 1100 degrees in increments
of 10 degrees. A gun like that gives you the control needed to avoid
scorching.

With a regular heat gun it is possible but harder to avoid scorching.
One thing you can try is to use a heat gun to get off the majority of
the paint off but don't try to get it all off. This avoids
scorching. Then, use MC on what is left. It uses both methods to
their relative advantage. Good luck and be safe!

On Jun 3, 8:51 pm, George Max
wrote:
On 04 Jun 2007 00:41:53 GMT, Jason ) wrote:





Hey folks. I'm having a devil of a time trying to figure out the
best way to strip the moldings in my house. The idea is to strip all
the paint and underlying varnish off the wood to then retreat it as
exposed wood. I live in a 1923 Bungalow and the old Dug Fir trim
really is nice - some great tight grain is hiding under some not so
nice paint.
I've tried Peel Away 6 & 7, but it doesn't do much with the Varnish
layer. I also tried Star10 stripper, and it works pretty well, but
it's highly flammable (don't ask me how I know) and makes a terrible
mess.

Has anyone ever stripped the windows/doors/baseboards, etc. in their
home? I'd love to hear how you did it!

Thanks,
Jason

I'm probably not much help. But here's what I did. On my front entry
door, I was able to use a heat gun for most of it. And a little zip
strip for the rest.

The side entry door was pretty much the same, 'cept more zip strip
since it's construction had more trim to it.

I did some interior doors too, but in those cases I took them outside
and used a product called "Kleen Kutter" which is a highly liquid
product that appears to be made mostly of Methylene Choride with some
other hot solvents mixed. If you get this stuff *DON'T USE IT IN THE
HOUSE*. That's some really nasty stuff but did a bang up job removing
the old varnish. Kleen Kutter also does a wonderful job on old paint
too.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I agree with George Max. The old school chemical is Methylene
Choride
and it will get the job done. Look specifially for a product with a
high percentage of this chemical if you want something effective.
There are alternatives out there but their only advantage is
envrionmental. None of them are as effective as MC. Some places may
have outlwawed it by now in which case you may be stuck with the
"green" alternative.

Take very seriously all warnings associated with the use of that
product. Do not expose family members, pets, or livestock. Wear
long
sleeves, old clothes, heavy rubber gloves, and eye goggles.
Ventilation is a must. Use cardboard or newpapers to protect
benches
or floors. The stuff is dangerous and you have been warned. Please
note that there are places with dip tanks that can remove your paint
for a fee. Look for furniture refinishers.

Use horses so the section being worked on is not touching anything
else while you are working on it. You goop it on, never brush it.
Put it on thick and leave it on for a certain amount of time but
never
let it dry out. If it dries out another application will be
required. Put it over a measured area that you guess you can
complete before it dries. Scrapers,paper towels are used to get
the goop off. Then mineral spirits and steel wool are used for the
final cleanup on the wood. If that doesn't get all of it off then it
can be repeated
on the areas that remain.

I also agree with his heat gun suggestion. It is easy to scorch the
wood, however, which is a major downside. The really nice heat guns
are digital. Mine goes from 150 degree to 1100 degrees in increments
of 10 degrees. A gun like that gives you the control needed to avoid
scorching.

With a regular heat gun it is possible but harder to avoid scorching.
One thing you can try is to use a heat gun to get off the majority of
the paint off but don't try to get it all off. This avoids
scorching. Then, use MC on what is left. It uses both methods to
their relative advantage. Good luck and be safe!

Thanks George.. that WAS a help!


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Thanks buddy!

Yeah, the MC stuff really is the best. I have a lot of old molding
that refuses to detatch without either cracking or taking some of
the wall's plaster with it. So I've resigned myself to do as much as
I can outside and for the more difficult molding, in place.. maybe..
I change my mind every time I strip in place. What a mess!

-J

P.S. As for cleaning the wood post-strip.. has anyone every used a
pressure washer? I read a few comments elsewhere that folks had luck
using that to remove the bubbled paint et al.

Cheers,
Jason


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TSP.
Back in the 60's Popular Mechanics, I believe it was, had an article
on stripping wood using TSP.
I tried it and it worked good.

You mix TSP, (sorry forgot ther mix ratio) with water, and heat to
below boiling. Wear protective gear!
Soak the part you want stripped for a few minutes or how long it
takes, and bruch away multi coats of paint.
I told a friend who restored old Victorian houses, and he tried it,
then had a shallow tank built with a burner below, to strip doors,
shutters, etc.

I wonder if you could soat a towel in it and hold against a verticle
moulding and apply heat, with an old iron or something else, and see
if it would work that way.


If you can find a box of TSP,(real TSP) try it on something small with
a lot of paint, and you will be amazed. DON"T leave things in very
long or it will soften the grain.

Good luck

On Jun 5, 7:50 am, sailor wrote:
TSP.
Back in the 60's Popular Mechanics, I believe it was, had an article
on stripping wood using TSP.
I tried it and it worked good.

You mix TSP, (sorry forgot ther mix ratio) with water, and heat to
below boiling. Wear protective gear!
Soak the part you want stripped for a few minutes or how long it
takes, and bruch away multi coats of paint.
I told a friend who restored old Victorian houses, and he tried it,
then had a shallow tank built with a burner below, to strip doors,
shutters, etc.

I wonder if you could soat a towel in it and hold against a verticle
moulding and apply heat, with an old iron or something else, and see
if it would work that way.

If you can find a box of TSP,(real TSP) try it on something small with
a lot of paint, and you will be amazed. DON"T leave things in very
long or it will soften the grain.

Good luck

Wow, never tried that or heard of it. They don't sell real TSP in MN
anymore so it may be outlawed in many other states as well. I think
they can still call the product "TSP" but when you look closer it also
says, "phophate free". Will this green replacement work with your
method?

On Jun 5, 1:00?pm, lwhaley wrote:
On Jun 5, 7:50 am, sailor wrote:





TSP.
Back in the 60's Popular Mechanics, I believe it was, had an article
on stripping wood using TSP.
I tried it and it worked good.

You mix TSP, (sorry forgot ther mix ratio) with water, and heat to
below boiling. Wear protective gear!
Soak the part you want stripped for a few minutes or how long it
takes, and bruch away multi coats of paint.
I told a friend who restored old Victorian houses, and he tried it,
then had a shallow tank built with a burner below, to strip doors,
shutters, etc.

I wonder if you could soat a towel in it and hold against a verticle
moulding and apply heat, with an old iron or something else, and see
if it would work that way.

If you can find a box of TSP,(real TSP) try it on something small with
a lot of paint, and you will be amazed. DON"T leave things in very
long or it will soften the grain.

Good luck

Wow, never tried that or heard of it. They don't sell real TSP in MN
anymore so it may be outlawed in many other states as well. I think
they can still call the product "TSP" but when you look closer it also
says, "phophate free". Will this green replacement work with your
method?- Hide quoted text -

I have my doubts about not using real TSP, but who knows.
It's worth a try. I remember the instructions said not to get it hot
enough to boil.
As with all stripping, be sure to wear protection!

IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, PLEASE, READ THIS BEFORE YOU BEGIN. LEAD PAINT IS
VERY HAZARDOUS TO CHILDREN.

I hate to burst everyones bubble. But, if the house was built before
1978 it probably has lead paint. Removing lead paint with heat or
Methylene Chloride can be a major health risk. You might want to do a
little more research before attempting paint removal by those methods.

I've been looking for a method for my own house. Built in 1953, all of
the exterior paint is lead, and at this time is flaking off. When
working with lead paint it very important not to release the lead dust
into the air, by dry scraping or sanding. Preferred methods are wet
sanding, dry sanding with a HEPA filter shop vac, chemical encapsulation
or using a Silent Paint Remover (which you can be rented at
http://www.silentpaintremover.com/rentone.htm). One other method I've
seen, but, have not tried is Steam Paint Removal. See website
http://historichomeworks.com/hhw/video/spr-video.htm.

Good luck.



wrote:
Hey folks. I'm having a devil of a time trying to figure out the
best way to strip the moldings in my house. The idea is to strip all
the paint and underlying varnish off the wood to then retreat it as
exposed wood. I live in a 1923 Bungalow and the old Dug Fir trim
really is nice - some great tight grain is hiding under some not so
nice paint.
I've tried Peel Away 6 & 7, but it doesn't do much with the Varnish
layer. I also tried Star10 stripper, and it works pretty well, but
it's highly flammable (don't ask me how I know) and makes a terrible
mess.

Has anyone ever stripped the windows/doors/baseboards, etc. in their
home? I'd love to hear how you did it!

Thanks,
Jason



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One other method I've seen, but, have not tried is
Steam Paint Removal.
See websitehttp://historichomeworks.com/hhw/video/spr-video.htm

See more video Of Steam Paint Removal at my Reports from the Field:

http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/video/rftf.htm

I have published a new Report from the Field on Steam Paint Removal,
which covers methods, techniques, equipment, sources, making custom
steam heads and profiles three steam paint removal projects.
21 pages, 23 illustrations, 2 step-by-step methods on making custom
steam heads. See it he

http://historichomeworks.com/hhw/rep...orts.htm#Steam


Discuss Steam Paint Removal at the Historic HomeWorks Forum:

http://historichomeworks.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=133

John
by hammer and hand great works do stand
by steam and heat we strip it neat

www.HistoricHomeWorks.com