So, I have (foolishly) started stripping the paint off some old, large glazed wooden doors at my house in 47.
I was quite confident having done a lot of this sort of stuff in the past and armed with various heat guns, paint stripper, tool, wire wool, various sanders etc. I eve worked at a pine-stripping place as a 14 year old as my first Saturday job.
However, it is proving to be a complete nightmare! I have spent 4 days so far, what I have done looks a mess and I’m not even a quarter of the way through.
What I think is really needed is for the doors to be ‘dipped’ first.
This is the log shot. Does anyone know of such a service - in this area?
I’m just thinking (hoping) that maybe when people get their shutters restored/repainted they get them dipped?
I can’t help with a recommendation, I’m afraid, but I’ve just been through the same process with a single, solid oak door.
There were 23 layers of paint and it took about 27 hours, using a heat gun, scraper and wire wool.
I’ve never found a dip-stripping service in France. The one time I used one in the UK, all the doors’ joints were weakened by the process and I ended up having to break apart and re-glue all the parts.
I decided then and there that I’d persevere with the heat gun in future.
I took an electric plane to one of them. Still have to do the intricate bits by slower methods but much faster for sides and flatter parts! I just planed the paint right off!
Dipping chems were pretty much outlawed by the EU for damaging the environment because they do.
Peelaway is a good safe pate but it needs time and everyone is to bloody impatient.
Burning off is dangerous if the previous paint was lead based
Have you tried a belt sander? I did all of our shutters with one, it worked so much better than any other sander to remove the paint - then finished with a random orbital sander for a fine finish. (may be less harsh than a plane).
If lead paint is involved, burning off is dangerous. However, a hot air gun used correctly will not burn and vaporise the lead in the paint. However, make sure you wear a mask that protects against toxic dust, just to be sure!
I bought a cheap belt sander for the same job you are doing, it was to save my Makita and was lighter so my OH could use it, 3 years later and many, many doors it is still going strong and at the price it was virtually throw away money.
It would definitely save you some grief.