Sandstone mullions - Removing gloss paint

[MrAliT]

Hello all!

This is my first post on here so I'm hoping you'll be able to give me some advice on our stone mullions.

We have recently moved into a property with lovely stone mullions and Crittal windows. One of the first things on our list of 'things to do' is replace these with aluminium double glazed units into the stone. This is sorted and they are coming in October to be fitted.

Before they are fitted I need to deal with the inside of the mullions, 80% of which have been painted multiple times with white, or in some cases yellow, gloss paint. I prefer the look of the bare stone so am in the process of laboriously removing the gloss with Peelaway 7 then using a wire brush to remove the remaining paint. This is working well although its very time consuming and dusty!

The issue is around the 3 windows which are in bathrooms. These are glossed but we are unsure if removing the gloss will mean mean that the stone will absorb and water from the atmosphere of a potentially moist bathroom. The question is, are we better removing the paint letting the stone breathe or would it be a better idea to 'protect' the stone with the paint in such a steamy environment?

Any thoughts gratefully received!

Alistair

 

[Nigel Watts]

I wouldn't worry too much about exposing stone in a bathroom. A bit of moisture won't do it much harm.

 

[MrAliT]

Thanks for the reply. Conversely is the gloss paint harmful to the stone too? Am I better to take it all off anyway?

 

[malcolm]

I think the stone would be better without the paint so it can dry into the bathroom if it gets wet. Paint will crack and let water in but won't allow it back out so the stone could be soaking wet behind paint.

I just restored a Crittall window to save the leaded glass. Looks magnificent.

 

[LadyArowana]

This is limestone in a Bath room and it seems to have fared OK :lol:

 

[88v8]

Hello and welcome.

The first priority as you no doubt know, is to remove the moisture with an effective extractor fan. Preferably one controlled by a humistat so people can't forget, or 'forget', to turn it on.

If the room is only intermittently heated, the stone may be cold enough for condensation to form, and this is easier to mop up from a painted surface, so you may find that a bit of mould tends to colonise the bare stone. But that's about the worst that can happen. And mould has to live somewhere.
I too, much prefer the look of the original stone and would not hesitate to continue with the stripping.

As a matter of interest, what windows are you using? I have Crittals here, with leads, so we are entering the waterfall windows season. But the look of them comes first, even if we weren't listed.

Ivor

 

[mims&pip]

Hi and welcome

Your stone mullions sound lovely.......some pictures would be appreciated by all here, I'm certain! Also, if you add your location to your profile it will help posters to know which part of the country you are in if you require recommendations for locally based tradesmen etc.

Whilst I recently posted about the way we dealt with walls of exposed (Shaftesbury Green)stone in one of the bathrooms at our last house - we concealed it - I agree that in the case of stone mullions they are far better to be exposed, bathroom or not and a little bit of mould (should it occur) is the price you pay for restoring such wonderful features :wink:

Some of our windows here are Crittall - our current house dates from 1853 but was given an Arts & Crafts style *makeover* in the 1920s - and, whilst we are not listed, our house has an Article 4(2) Direction so we would need planning permission to change the fourteen Crittall windows (including two large square bays) and five doors :roll:

I didn't think I'd like living with them at first - we've been here ten months - but they have grown on me and whilst I admit that DG would be more cosy and potentially less problematic during the colder months, I agree with Ivor that the overall look of the windows is preferable imho. Your aluminium replacements sound like the next best thing with your stone mullions though!

Mims x

 

[MrAliT]

HI All

Thanks for your replies and advice. We are in Taunton in terms of location. I've added a few photos to give an idea of what have done so far. Its a process of putting on Peelaway 7 for 24 hours, re-applying then taking a wire brush on a drill to the frame to get the remainder of the paint off. It works but it's time consuming and very dusty!

 

[plasticpigeon]

I really like the windows, it is a shame to change them. I can't imagine that Aluminium replacements will be as slim and delicate looking, especially the outer section of the frame. If you have to change them, as the original windows are metal Crittal windows (as fitted in the houses of parliament) and look to be in good condition, it should be possible to remove them without damaging the metal if your fitters are good, I think you should keep them in storage just in case anyone wants to put them back in some time in the future. Also are your fitters skilled enough to change the windows without damaging the stone surrounds? It's not too late to change your mind and opt for secondary glazing if you want to save energy.

 

[MrAliT]

Hi

The windows are in decent condition and I'm sure that they would continue for years to come but its just not practical for us to keep them in the house. We believe it was build in the late 40's and it was last updated in the 80's we think. We've just put in insulation (would you believe it didn't have any) and a new boiler so not to do the windows would be crazy.

We have got aluminium windows coming via the Heritage Window company. These are basically the thinnest frame and depth (38mm) windows you can get and they will go strait into the stone without problem. The mullions are all in good condition and whilst we will loose a few millimetres of window due to the slightly larger frame it really won't be an issue. Ultimately it should be pretty hard to tell the difference between the original Crittal and the new DG units.

Dues anyone know if there is a second hand market for Crittal windows? I'm not going to be putting them into storage but I can imagine if someone has a listed property they might be sought after.

 

[MatthewC]

I removed a couple of Crittal windows and a door but they weren't as nice as those. Mine had large single panes of glass and collected condensation very well. They came out quite easily from a wooden frame but I think (distant memory) that the screws on the non-opening windows were hidden by the putty so I had to find the screws and remove some of the glass before I could remove the frame. If that is done then I would think that the mullions would not be damaged. Don't let them attack with contractors' customary speed and vigour or they'll be using jemmies and big hammers!!

Matthew

 

[livias]

I like your windows too but I can imagine they will get very condensy and drafty in the middle of winter.How about using secondary glazing which can be quite cheap. I glazed my whole house last year for 1000 pounds. It will not be quite as thermally efficient as full replacements but you can afford to use a bit extra fuel if you have not spent out 10K? on reglazing the house