Sanding Gadgets & Tips

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MissRibena

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Hi everyone

I'm (still!!!!!) waiting to get into my new house so in the meantime I'm amusing myself by dreaming up DIY projects for myself when I get in. There's loads of original woodwork from 1930, including a dresser, high skirtings, stairs, picture rails, alcove bookcases/cupboards, double wooden doors, table & mismatched chairs. All of these are covered in layer upon layer of white gloss. Having recently tried my hand at getting the woodstain off a rocking chair (not very successfully), I am daunted by the quantity of sanding etc.

I know I'll probably never get to see the bare wood underneath all this paint (& varnish/stain it) and will just end up painting everything myself but I'd still like to get a nicer finish than just adding another layer of paint. So I'm looking for tips, shortcuts, what kind of sander and strippers/products to buy etc?

Rebecca
 
There is no quick fix to this situation but a lot of hard work and sanding and putting up with a lot of dust when I moved into my own home it was the same only they had gloss painted over Mahogany which should be against the law.
I tried everything to get it back to its former glory but it proved too time consuming and messy, eventually I decided to pull out all the woodwork and start from scratch with new woodwork ended up getting all pine which looks great and really brightens up the house.
I got the whole house done for E3,200 which included new door frames, doors, handles, locks hinges, skirting, dado rails, stairs ect looks great all matched up together if money is an issue then just clean up what you have until you can afford to replace it.

Good Luck ;)
 
Anything you can physically remove without damaging it, such as doors, dresser, table and chairs etc you are way better off taking to be dipped by a pro. They immerse it in acidic solution me thinks for a couple of hours and it arrives out completely bare like a babys bottom....

Another tool you will need when stripping gloss is a heat gun. Like a very hot hair dryer, you heat scrape, etc. But very easy to damage the wood.
IN ADDITION, bear in mind that paint from the 1960s and before is very likely to contain lead so bear it in mind when stripping and scrapping and esp if usign heat gun...
 
Cabinet scrapers and broken glass are great for removing paint. You can also buy a detail sander for sanding furniture and other small stuff.

Be careful if you are using a heat gun on stuff you can't see behind like skirting boards, door trim etc because dust and junk can build up behind these and next thing ya know your house is on fire.
Also some acidic dips will dissolve glue as well as paint....not so good for doors, check with the guy offering the service.

I used use a chemical stripper (not Nitromors) that was painted on and then covered in plastic for a couple of hours, it softened up the paint which I then removed with a shave hook. Works great on big flat bits.


Its a pain but the best way is sandpaper and elbow grease, tape up your fingertips or they will be rubbed raw and loads of Neutrogena when you are finished.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. I really want to hold onto as much of the original woodwork as possible and not replace with new because it's so lovely. Even with all the gloss, it's still nicer than the new stuff available (at least to me).

Was a bit worried about the dipping in case it damaged things; some of the doors have glass in and I'm afraid I'd end up with a lots of bare wood but in a pile with broken glass. Anyway, I'll see how it goes; I might get the table, chairs and dresser done yet.

Excusing my ignorance Fingalian but what is Nitromors and do you remember what the chemical stripper you used was?

Was definitely thinking of getting a detail sander (and one of the flat ones too) but not sure about which brand might the one to go for.

Rebecca
 
[broken link removed] is paint remover which I would have to say I never found to be great - hard work.

You may something useful [broken link removed] on the chemical stripper front.
 
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