Stripping paint from shutters to free them

[PeterI]

I've always wondered if we actually have shutters on our windows or not, the wood work suggests yes and as this part of south east london could be described as edgy I've been keen on getting them fitted for security purposes.

The windows have all been replaced with uPVC so on the front windows the area where there would have been a hinge is covered by a uPVC finishing strip which means it's difficult to tell so far I've resisted the temptation to hae a look underneath until we get them replaced with new sashes.

However over the weekend I noticed that the french doors at the rear have very similar wood trim to the front windows and what looks like hinges for shutters. (The hinges for the doors are elsewhere on the frames)



This picture shows the somewhat overpainted nature (why did people do this?) so I'm now looking for suggestions on how to free up the shutters without doing damage. I'm tempted to try sanding back to see what the older paint finishes are, possibly using Nitromors (or something from strippers of sudbury) to get a bit of a head start with the top layers.

Is Nitromors any good these days or have the H&S folks got at it? Any suggestions as to the best way forward.

 

[Nigel Watts]

From your photo it is at all clear to me where the shutter would fit when folded back. Internal shutters are usually housed in boxes each side of the window which are a couple of inches or so deep. Your window surround does not look like it had any shutter box, so I suspect it was not originally fitted with shutters.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I think Nigel missed out a "not"?

Nitromors would get it off but it's a laborious and unpleasant process. If you go for that, best to have a timer and another job on the go. Gloop it on with an old brush, go away for 5 minutes, gloop it on again, go away for 7 minutes. Come back with a load of scrapers and cloths, get as much off as possible. Repeat ad nauseum.

Sorry, I can't make the photo out at all.

 

[PeterI]

I'll get a better wider shot this evening.

 

[PeterI]

Back with a slightly wider view of whats going on (awful camera phone snapshot sorry)

 

[Keith Bowman]

Those look just like the shutters in the house I grew up in [ ok Penners...in which I grew up!]. The 'door' was not the door to a cupboard, but the first panel of the shutter, which was in several concertina-like parts. If you can fold them out you should find a thin steel bar about 3" wide which swivels up and drops down across the gap to lock them closed. Cleaning the paint off the joins to do so will, though, require patience unless you want to strip them completely. I would use something like a Stanley knife down the joins and the same or some small, sharp type of scraper on the knuckles of the hinges to allow you to introduce some thin oil into the hinge pins. Then gentle pushing and pulling on the 'door' till you eventually get some movement.
Now, I fully expect to be shot down by one of the actual experts on here!

 

[plasticpigeon]

Nitromoors is crap now, it doesn't work at all, don't waste your money. I've found peelaway quite effective and better than sanding of a surface that almost certainly has lead paint on it. Other poultice strippers are probably just as good.

 

[PeterI]

Which variety of PeelAway did you use? PeelAway 7 looks interesting and isn't caustic which would make it a lot easier to work with but I suspect not as effective as the caustic PeelAway 1.

One annoyance is that there is some wood that has been inserted at the bottom of the doors to outside (presumably to replace a rotten sill/threshold) which I'll need to remove to get the shutters open. Need to have a look over the weekend to see whats going on in daylight. (I wasn't going out last night again and I'd missed due to it being covered up by some carpet being used as a draft blocker)

 

[Nigel Watts]

That is undoubtedly a shutter, and the thing concealed under the paint could be a shutter hinge. However it looks to me like the door has been inserted later and its position may well prevent the shutter from opening properly. For the shutter to open fully the window or door needs to be set back from the axis of the shutter hinges by at least the thickness of the shutter - more if there is any door furniture such as a handle.

The detailing on the shutter, shutter box and architrave is very similar to that on the ground floor of my house, which dates from the 1840s.

 

[PeterI]

The door is a later replacement (or so the heritage report from a previous planning application reckons) so it's possible you're right. (The door knob would be a problem!) The stairs associated with the door however are clearly on a 1863 OS map so it's likely the shutters are original.

Dating wise I tend to agree currently based only on maps I think the building is somewhere between 1830-37 but I really need to visit the local history centre and do some digging through the leases etc. particularly as half the garden was stolen by the Deptford fever hospital (opened 1877) behind the property so their records might have some interesting aspects (The house was bought at auction from the NHS in the 60s and has some covenants relating to the garden wall).

The stairs down into the garden is a solid mass (rubble/brick core with cement covering) There have been a couple of low level windows inserted (badly) either side of it to let light into the basement room,but our CO suspects that originally there was a light well with iron stairs instead.

We're going to be fitting a membrane system into the basement and it sounded like the CO would be more than happy for us to re-instate the steps and lightwell if once the plaster is off down stairs we can see where the light well would have gone. (It would also mean we could get rid of the low level windows)

 

[plasticpigeon]

I used peelaway 7 that is non caustic. I takes quite a few layers off, but might need 2 applications for multiple paint layers. I'd recommend it.

 

[PeterI]

Cheers, the non-caustic part had me worried it wasn't going to be too effective. Now I need to find somewhere with some in stock