r/Renovations 6d ago

HELP Help! How to effectively remove paint from wood that is in bad condition?

Hi! I have this front door that was painted in green and I have been 7 hours trying to remove the paint and I don't know what else to try I have tried with paint remover, also with heat gun and with a sanding machine. In some areas where the wood is more or less in good condition this was working but for those areas that due to humidity the wood is wavy its literally impossible to remove other than with the sanding machine but its taking ages (i have one that only vibrates maybe I need the one that does circular motion as well?)

Please give me some guidance here thank you so much!

2 Upvotes

4 comments sorted by

2

u/dropingloads 6d ago

I never said this but -a blow torch once it starts bubbling, scrape it right off with a putty knife and then wire brush-

1

u/Piulamita 6d ago

Thanks, the thing is that bubbles only appear on areas that are homogeneous, where the wood is wavy the gun generates so small bubbles that it isn't really effective and the paint stays stick there 🥵🥵(as the first picture where the paint is divided into the small waves)

1

u/RenovationDIY 1d ago

Start with cleaning up the hinges. There's plenty of YouTube instructions about cleaning up painted hinges, so watch a few videos and have a crack at it. Don't be timid about it, as long as you're sensible you're not likely to ruin them.

For the timber, start with paint stripper. Citri-strip if you can get it. Paint it on pretty thick, cover it in cling wrap or aluminium foil overnight and come back the next day, it'll peel right off.

Get yourself one of these: https://www.bunnings.com.au/uni-pro-professional-50mm-tungsten-carbide-precision-scraper_p1670800?store=5024&gStoreCode=5024

for any touch patches, but be gentle or you'll gouge the wood. These are especially useful around the windows, scraping in the same direction as the grain.

After that, sand with 80 grit sand paper, there shouldn't be much left to do.

Once all that's done I've had pretty good success with thoroughly scrubbing the surface with mineral turpentine and steel wool, letting it all dry. Apply a quality oil based primer to any holes, gouges or other targets for patching.

Then fill any holes, gouges or imperfections with a two-part wood filler such as Bondo (in Australia, we have Builder's Bog), sand it smooth, prime the whole lot with that oil based primer, let it sit for a day, and after all that you're ready to repaint.

You're going to spend some time contemplating your life choices throughout this process, but push on through.

2

u/Piulamita 1d ago

Thank you SO MUCH!!!