Bannisters, sanding and painting!!

murphydog999

Hi, I am looking for some invaluable tips to make the sanding and painting of my many bannister spindles MUCH easier, any tricks of the trade you would care to share?

richardw

Are the balusters traditional turned wood style?

How much paint is already on them?

murphydog999

richardw wrote: »

Are the balusters traditional turned wood style?

How much paint is already on them?

Hi, yes traditional turned, and it looks like loads of paint. There is 70 of them so I REALLY don't want to strip them (even though I know it would look better).

aboard_epsilon

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Abrasive-Cloth-Roll-25mm-x-25M-Medium-Wood-Metal-/230584914505?pt=UK_BOI_Metalworking_Milling_Welding_Metalworking_Supplies_ET&hash=item35afee9249


more and even cheaper can be found ..by using the search words
"grit roll"

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=grit+roll

look out for 25mm wide or less.


all the best.markj

richardw

Perhaps just do the ones at ground floor level really well and the others not so well.

murphydog999

richardw wrote: »

Perhaps just do the ones at ground floor level really well and the others not so well.

Thanks again, so you mean strip half?

A brush or roller to paint with?

richardw

murphydog999 wrote: »

so you mean strip half?

Just consider what you see when you are standing at ground floor level and look at the balustrade, perhaps just do the number of raking balusters between the ground floor and first floor newel posts.

ormus

get a man in.
it took me weeks to do mine. (part time).

richardw

ormus wrote: »

get a man in.
it took me weeks to do mine. (part time).

How many balusters in half a man day?

murphydog999

Well I've started now, got bored after about 12 - I'm stripping the stairs aswell! - so there's not much hope of enjoying it. Whoever the previous painter was, he must have thought trowel application was the best thing to do. When I can afford it we,ll have some nice wrought iron ones.

aboard_epsilon

Quickest most economical method of stripping them is a hot air gun ..and then when you have done that, tidy up with the abrasive strip stuff i linked to.

If you find that they are a hardwood ...I'm sure you will be coming back here to find out how to refurbish, so they look like what they were, when originally installed....but that's a lot more work, probably weeks .

all the best.markj