Removing old gloss from doors, frames and skirtings

Hi, having refurbished a 1900 3 storey terraced house and wanting to retain as much of the 8 inch skirting I was given a tip that I used and it worked fine, mix caustic soda and corn flower together in equal parts then add water and mix into a paste and paint it onto the surface to be stripped and watch it bubble, rubber gloves are a necessity but it works, iv used this on cast iron fireplaces and brought it back to life naturally.

Even with an 80 grit sand paper on a belt sander its going to cost you alot of time and money. The cost of the belt sander and the belts and the hours you will spend creating noise, mess and harmful dust getting through the paint (use extraction, wear a mask and ear protection). When things are that bad it is a sad fact that you are probably better off ripping it all out and starting again than trying to fix it. If its some original wood work you are trying to uncover and you think its worth your time you go ahead. Honestly I spent days trying to get the layers of paint off a paneled door. Belt sanders, heat guns, scrapes and elbow grease. You have to be skilled with a heat gun, you have to deal with the fumes and not burn the wood. Belt sanding is also a skill and you need the arms for it. It was not worth the time with the door and I gave up on it. I could have made a better door or bought a new one and saved myself a lot of hassle. Skirting and architrave is cheap enough and you can find lots of people on here to supply and fit it for you. The last thing you want is to sand down all that paint and find out its mdf and you have gone into the soft stuff. Then you will never get a decent paint finish on it.

Hi Harry 23033 I agree with Jon, however if you are happy to keep the doors you may want to consider applying a primer, sealer, stain killer. There are products available you can apply over the existing paint without the need to sand. Some of them are ready to re-coat in 45 minutes. One of the leading brands in this field is Zinsser, they have multiple products that may be of interest to you. Try searching www.zinsseruk.com

Also agree with the other 2 guys. There are how ever companies that chemical dip your doors. If you think that underneath is a beautiful old timber door then this could be the way forward. You just remove the door and take it to them. Some even come and collect.

Eight or so layers on these doors? then it appears these are original. Layers of paint on doors can inhibit the doors closing correctly, strain on hinges and latches etc. I have just used a belt sander on doors that are original 1930's. Ok, I had the luxury of taking them off and sanding them down outside, I removed handles, locks and hinges and with several layers of paint it took me no more than 40 mins per door. The panels I hand sanded as these do not effect the doors closing correctly. None of these doors closed with ease but now all close easily. I will be posting photos later today of these original panel doors. It was cost effective for the customer also and these originals are far superior in my humble opinion than modern doors unless you want to spend a lot of money on good quality. Seven doors, no more than five hours labour sanding them down now all in great condition and look amazing. I also possess a good quality scraper that I use on door frames where paint has built up over the years, I then hand sand them, so together with sanding the doors and frames where needed they are virtually back to original condition and all close with ease. Skirting boards can also be hand sanded but if the top edges are coated with layers of paint that inhibit a good "line" against wallpaper or emulsion then I scrape that edge, sand and then caulk any slight gaps. Personally I would not replace good wood, you could hire a belt sander for a day or two. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

All good answers above. But just to add....if there are 8 layers of gloss then there will be a good chance the lower layers could contain lead ( i dont know the age of the property but lead in paint was banned in the uk as late as the 70's) So ppe and dispose of the waste as appropriate