Best paint stripper?

[Popcorn]

Sorry, another question from me. I have some original Victorian skirting and architrave I am keen to return to its former glory. It is currently layers thick in gloss paint with accompanied drips etc! Which is the best paint stripper to use? I'd rather not use Nitromors if possible because I have small children in the house, but I haven't been impressed by the results from the "Home Strip" Paint & Varnish remover I picked up in Focus which was recommended as being non-toxic.

Many thanks for your thoughts.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Enter paint stripping in the search bar and you will find many thousands of comments from people far wiser than I about both products and methods.

Paint stripping is intrinsically unchildfriendly (if it has to be done in situ) as far as I can see. You should just try to keep kids away.. but then there are the fumes so make sure the space is very well ventilated.

Use a heat gun and scraper very carefully to remove the excess, then Nitromors and wire wool over many applications. (but that's just my preferred method)

Or, you could sand off the excess with a Bosch PSM 160A or just by wrapping sandpaper around a block, vaccuum, then paint. I did that in our London flat and it worked quite well- it depends how much detail has been lost in the mouldings.

 

[MdB]

Most people know but it is worth saying, be very careful regarding lead when sanding old paint.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I have completely disregarded lead when sanding old paint and made myself quite ill.

It really does deserve respect, though the whole business of wearing a mask only to have your goggles steam up is a real nuisance.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

I have completely disregarded lead when sanding old paint and made myself quite ill.

It really does deserve respect, though the whole business of wearing a mask only to have your goggles steam up is a real nuisance.

To be very serious for a moment, stripping lead paint carelessly can do far more than make you "quite ill", and even the effects of that may be irreversible. Even at very low levels, inhaling or ingesting the dust can have terrible effects on unborn children.

 

[JoceAndChris]

inhaling or ingesting the dust can have terrible effects on unborn children.

You fill me with terrible alarm Gareth. Two years of trying for a baby and no baby- diagnosis "unexplained infertility".

Maybe I should stop stripping lead paint and go and have a blood test.

 

[Pford75]

My advice would be to speak to the nice men and women at Strippers of Sudbury. They really are expert when it comes to stripping paint (I have no commercial connection with them, i've just been a happy customer).

They will most likely recommend a suitable product and even suggest a 'sample' size tin/container so that you can check it's the right stuff before buying more. I know there have been various comments about it's impact on softwood (not sure if your skirting is soft or hardwood)...but unless you are planning to remove the skirting (which I wouldn't recommend), klingstrip has definate advantages when stripping from a vertical surface.

Whilst it is caustic to the touch, it should be covered during application and (speaking as a parent of young children) I found it a better option than liquid strippers

 

[Flyfisher]

Maybe I should stop stripping lead paint and go and have a blood test.

I think that's a good idea, especially since you say you've actually been ill after stripping lead paint. Lead workers (e.g. roofers) are recommended to have blood tests every six months even though they are not really exposed to lead-containing dust, which is a worryingly efficient way of entry to the body.

I'm not sure about the fertility effects of lead but I'm pretty sure that lead and pregnancy is a very, very bad combination. I'm not a doctor but I think it would be a good idea to visit one.

 

[Feltwell]

Strippers of Sudbury are a great firm and do some very good products, but I would definitely not use Klingstrip if the mouldings you want to strip are softwood. I've found it raises the grain really badly - it made a proper mess of some cupboard doors I did. Someone else on here has had bad experiences with it on softwood as well (Penners I think).

It's supposed to be very good on hardwoods and other surfaces though. I've tried that company's graffiti removal products (after some little scrote sprayed his name on the side of my friends house - just as he was trying to sell it) and it worked very well indeed.

If your mouldings are softwood (which they probably are) I'd say Nitromors is best, you can get a gel version, which I've not tried, but should be better for vertical surfaces. Not environmentally or child friendly but it does work well and doesn't raise the grain as Kingstrip does.

Or you can do what I did and decide to just paint them again and leave the idea of stripping them until the kids are old enough to know better! I came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the risk.