May 30, 20233 yr Hey all,  A quick post from me to all you DIY gurus out there 😉  We're looking to strip our landing banister of several layers of old gloss.  We were wondering if:  a) a heat gun would be the easiest route to remove the bulk of gloss?  b) when removed do we need to treat the wood before applying a wax or stain?  c) any other problems or concerns when removing gloss to leave a natural wood finish?  Many thanks for your time Shadow
May 30, 20233 yr How old is the house? Could some of it be lead paint? Check the precautions required
May 30, 20233 yr Nitromors or the caustic peel strip stuff is the best - you reduce the risk of burning the underlying wood and having to sand down to remove damage.Â
May 31, 20233 yr I find burning paint off, with a flame, very relaxing. The fumes are worrying though. Edited May 31, 20233 yr by SteamyTea
May 31, 20233 yr When we (well the wife really) stripped a stairs banister etc, she found various sizes and shapes of scrapper were best. You need to use the ones with replaceable carbide bits. Not a Stanley knife one.
May 31, 20233 yr +1 for nitro mors and it burns nicely through the skin so gloves are a must . If its an old house you can bet lead paint is on there somewhere so a good mask also and one word of caution : if your looking for a natural looking finish beware all those years of dings and dents and scratches they will hold onto the paint for dear life and more often than not your finished surface will look like a tub of hundreds and thousands so expect some extra work .
May 31, 20233 yr 18 hours ago, SilverShadow said: Hey all,  A quick post from me to all you DIY gurus out there 😉  We're looking to strip our landing banister of several layers of old gloss.  We were wondering if:  a) a heat gun would be the easiest route to remove the bulk of gloss?  b) when removed do we need to treat the wood before applying a wax or stain?  c) any other problems or concerns when removing gloss to leave a natural wood finish?  Many thanks for your time Shadow The house I grew up in had had the original woodwork, throughout, painted when my parents and I moved in, my dad wanted it all stripped back and varnished, the old painter chap who undertook the mammoth task of stripping some 20 odd doors, all the balustrades, stair panelling, all the windows, fire places the works, the whole lot used original Nitro Mors and it left the wood in good condition. I must have been about 3 when it all kicked off as I can remember standing watching from a great distance as I was told the stuff would burn me.  Looking at the wood work, to this day, it looks great and you would not know it had been once painted.  I have however seen doors which were treated differently and damaged is present.  So, +1 for the NitroMors - I would, remove all family from house, open all windows/doors, get a good mask with the right rated filter, 3M masks with the Kidney shaped filters are good, you then get the A1/A2 blah blah filter units which click in with a bayonet connection and can be stacked with FFP1/2/3 filters etc. or even other chemical/gas types.Â
May 31, 20233 yr Author Thanks for the replies 😉  I shall consider the solvent option, but was concerned about the H&S aspect. Looks like it's best to do with protective gear & not hungover 😉  I'll have a look for nitro mors, but did see this peelaway as a potential one?  https://www.peelaway.co.uk/130/1868/peelaway-1 Â
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