Remove 3 Coats Of Paint From Door?

Question

I Have A 1940 Front Door I Want To Make Natural. Should I Use Stripper Or Belt Sand The # Coats Of Paint? What Should I Use To Strip?

Answer 1

Use a heat gun on it because a door that is 68yrs old more and likely has several layers of paint on it and to chemically strip it off could take forever. Sanding it down with a belt sander will cause unevenness in the wood and belt sanders are very powerful and can be unpredictable. If you use a heat gun be sure to take the door off its hinges and bring it outside or in the garage when you remove the paint. Lay out an old blanket or sheet as a drop cloth. Cardboard works well also. Place the door flat on a table or on some horses.  Wear gloves and use a 5 in1 or a 4" mud knife for your scrapper. Hold the heat gun at an angle so that the heat does most of the work. When the paint begins to bubble up, then its ready to be scraped. After your done removing the paint, go over the whole door with a palm sander to remove any residue and to smooth it out. If you use a stripper then I would recommend a brand called 'Marine Stripper'. Super powerful stuff, you can buy it at any paint store.

Answer 2

Don't sand: old paint may contain lead. Sanding it will cause lead-filled dust to saturate your home and that is dangerous.

Do not do it at all if you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breast feeding, and don't do it indoors or in your yard if you have a small child in the house. The risk of lead contamination is just too high.

You can use paint stripper or you can use a heat gun (check at your local DIY store) and a maple wood scraper to remove the paint. If you use the heat gun, you should wear a face mask over your nose and mouth and, if the heat bothers you, a leather glove on the scraping hand.  (You can find protective leather gloves at a welding supply store.)

The heat gun would be more environmentally responsible and would leave the door in better shape; the stripper would be faster but would require you also wear eye protection and heavy rubber gloves.

Answer 3

You can also try the Dumond Paint Stripper, it does work great without much sanding and use of the heat gun.  Check out their website's info and link

http://www.dumondchemicals.com/html/prod...  

“The PEEL AWAY I System is an environmentally safe method of removing up to Thirty two (32) layers of paint in a single application from most surfaces and there are NO FUMES AND NO FLAMMABLE SOLVENTS. The System includes a paste that is spread or sprayed over the surface to be stripped and then covered with a fibrous laminated paper with controls evaporation, and is left on until all of the paint is dissolved for easy collection of the waste. The laminated paper is then removed with the bulk of the paste and paint adhering to it and the stripped surface is washed clean and neutralized.”

Answer 4

Use jassco paint remover it won't harm the wood! and get wood patch because you are going to have some damage. Yes sand it ask your hardware clerk they will know how much grit you will need on you sandpaper and other stuff like the sealants brushes. I did mine, alot of work thou.