Help with Georgian Window Reveals / Panelling

[Deab]

Hello!

I am currently renovating a Georgian property. The windows all have very detailed wood panelled reveals (?) and shutters, which were unfortunately nailed and then painted shut.

The previous owner started the process of getting the shutters operational again but also unfortunately decided to drench everything in the house (including the windows) with a coat of white emulsion.

Taking the cautious approach, we made some good progress on removing the paint using "Home Strip Paint & Varnish Remover" from Toolstation. This has removed all but the primer from the panelling, which the company suggested could be milk-based; which the gel cannot remove.

I was hoping that we could start to build up the paint layers again, smoothing out the levels by wet sanding the new safe paint (a lead test swab showed positive on the primer), but the finish still remains rough.

Any suggestions? Ideally looking to either remove right down to the wood or at least help to cover up the uneven primer. Thank you!

before after

 

[Kearn]

I wouldn’t worry about total removal given you’re repainting as they should be. Personally I’m a fan of Sadolin Superdec - no need for additional primer, so could go over the different areas happily with no visual impact (physical imperfections aside). It lasts very well, is pretty flat in terms of finish and fades away as a traditional lead paint would rather than cracking/peeling/flaking.

 

[fernicarry]

Those panels look very similar to our window reveals. I find a very hard layer of grey stuff on all the woodwork here just before I get to the bare wood that must have been the original primer. Nothing touches it except a carbide scraper.

I started out this house determined to take everything back to bare wood but a) its a hell of a lot of tedious work that majority won't appreciate and b) damage is inevitable. Now I generally strip flat areas with a scraper as that is quick and low(ish) risk / high return and sand or scrape with a shave hook the worst of the defects off the profiled areas. Be very careful with any mechanical approach as its easy to remove bits you don't intend to and obviously use decent PPE.

Paint removers don't usually work well enough to do the whole job (as you have found). They do the easy bit fine, whilst leaving you with a horrible sticky mess to clean up, and the difficult stuff remains stubbornly stuck in place. I've also found that some make the wood so wet the grain starts to pull out. I've stopped using them except on pieces that I can take outside to rinse off and that won't be bothered by being wet. I tried that toolstation stuff on some bead board recently and whilst it took off the top layers (eventually after 3 applications), there was still paint left deep in the moulding that I ended up having to pick out millimetre by millimetre...

You'll be looking at quite a number of coats (at least 4) to build it back up to a nice smooth finish. I sand between coats with a "between coats" 180 grit. Use a sanding block on the flat areas so that they stay flat. You might find sponge backed sandpaper useful on the mouldings or just a folded piece of between coats. It should look fantastic once you are done and far better than any trades-person would get it.

 

[claraclattermole]

Strippers of Sudbury (Google them. Online shop) do some good paint removal paste stuff called klingstrip. If you did want to remove the rest of the paint, that will do the job.