stripping woodwork

[knight]

Right, I've almost finished stripping all the woodwork from my hallway - skirting, banister what not, using a heat gun and scraper. However this has left nasty 'varnish' like residue underneath and bits of paint in the wood. Is there a chemical avaiable which could clean all this up without too much effort? or would sanding it down be the only option? got some nitro mors here but it says i will only cover typically 1 -2 door sides and its pretty expensive stuff...

thanks

 

[oilman]

Well, how old is your house? It sounds like this would be shellac varnish, and so you need fine steel wool and a cloth. And a load of meths. You need to apply the meths with the steel wool, or with a fine brass wire brush and let it dissolve the varnish. When it's dissolved, wipe it away with a cloth. This is a pains-taking task, don't rush it or you will damage the wood. Nitromors will not do a very good kob with this, and sanding will cause lots of problems with differing surfaces.

 

[ABN]

What finish are you intending to ally when finished?

i.e. Paint, stain and wax, varnish etc

 

[Tozzy]

Sounds like a lot of hard, messy and timeconsuming work for renovating your skirting and banister . I would just buy new and then all you have to do is fit and finish. I would never strip wood again after last time lol. Even composite door frames, I'd just replace. Good luck though .

 

[knight]

oilman:
My house was built in the 1940's
Will try meth spirits. tried using nitro mors on wirewool today like it says on the tin. but..... it takes ages and needs LOADS of nitro mors for it to be effective.

ABN:
Intending on painting it gloss after stripped

Tozzy:
Its all stripped now so will have to just grin and bear it with the work ahead . Took the p1ss to strip it though using the heat gun and scraper. want to get the best DIY finish I can



Thanks all!

 

[JohnD]

If I picture it right, and you have heat-stripped most of it off, except for some hard scabby bits, then have a go at sanding it. This will make a lot of dust, especially if you have flat surfaces and use a power sander, but it may be quicker than the alternatives.

Remember to wear your dust mask and hat.

 

[ABN]

If your going to use the wire wool then make sure your not using a water base primer/top coat. From what I have read small particals of the wire wall are likely to remain and the water based products can rust causing discolouration etc.