Stripping paint v new skirting and door frame?

beckieee20

Hi guys,

So I'm a single mum attempting to decorate my kids room (properly) for the first time.

My question is this there is at least 20 years worth of layers of gloss on the skirting boards and door frames and i want the finish to be nice instead of my usual botch it job *(which would be to add another layer) ... Would it be more cost and time effective to strip the paint either with chemical or sander (and would i be able to do it given my diy repetoire is nil) or am i best paying a pro to fit new skirting and door frame?

any advice would be greatly appreciated I'm really on a shoe string as i would like to get it done for christmas for them even tho the rest of the house resembles steptoes yard!!

Many thanks

Rebecca ... p.s sorry if its long winded

Norman_Castle

If you are painting it just sand it. If it looks and feels smooth its ready to paint. Filling any gaps makes a big difference and vacuum or use a damp cloth to remove dust before painting.

vansboy

If you've not got to worry about carpets being damaged, I'd buy a heat gun and strip the paint off.

Even with chemical stripper, you'll make a mess of carpets.

Otherwise , as mentioned just sand it all and re paint.

The work involved with replacing everything may cause extra damamge to walls and create more work.

VB

GwylimT

Heat guns are very good, if you are keeping the carpet roll it back or you will burn it, I've used heat guns to completely strip skirting boards, door frames and banisters that like your own have been painted over several times. You do get the odd awkward bit, but on the whole it's a fairly easy job.

foxwales

You don't want to use a heat gun on layers of paint if you don't know whether the paint contains lead or not as it can be toxic.

Door architrave is about £7-12 a strip and skirting boards around £13+ per panel.

I would advise against attempting to sand them also as the dust will get everywhere and again, if you can't be sure that the paint layers do not contain lead.

Take them out and replace with new, it's a nice tidy job, less mess and will give you a much cleaner finish.

kerri_gt

I am in the process of repainting our front door. I gave it a coat of gloss last summer and it wasn't to my standards so I decided to re-do it this year.

I was just going to sand it but because of some panel detailing i ended up using this :
http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/decorating/sealants-filler-and-strippers/de-solv-it-great-stripper---1l-199069

Now I won't pretend it didn't take some time to do the door, I didn't go back as far as the wood, just wanted a decent surface to sand and paint. It took me a day to strip last year gloss, sand, wash off little bits of peely paint and sugar soap. However taking my time doing this did mean sanding was minimal and I've got a far superior finish than previously.

If you're unsure get some quotes from pros about replacements and that will give you an idea of the cost difference.

As a tip (and I am a novice DIY-er and don't really like gloss) -

a) I prefer to stay away from both one coat / quick dry gloss paints as i find them too thick to paint with and get a really good finish
b) consider satin or eggshell finish paint, its much more forgiving than gloss and many are water soluble (this doesn't mean they wipe off the wood like wiping emulsion walls) but it makes drips / brush / self cleaning a lot easier than oil based paints.