i wanna strip!!!!

bindiboo

ok u diyers

i am trying to strip back the wood on my staircase from its currently varnished mahonganey

i ve use some stripping gel called home strip from b&q and have tries using a sander but it is pain staking and is not really taking it back enough.

the area i am stripping consists of the tongue and groove side and panel and the bid posts things at top and bottome what ever they are really called

any tips

weekendwarrior

Hi,

It sounds like you are really going to struggle as the chemical removers are designed for Paint and it sounds like you are trying to remove varnish and possibly stain underneath!

I think the big posts that you are referring to are the newel posts. Stripping things like this can be a real pain in the backside!

Perhaps a casutic based paint remover would work? but be very careful, cover all carpets and wear goggles and rubber gloves as caustic is nasty stuff. The ony other thing I can suggest is sanding it with coarse paper then fine paper.

There is no easy way known to me for stripping varnish, unfortunately.

Good luck

irnbru_2

Do a search on EBay for "Ready Strip" - maybe that'll do the job but its not cheap.

Here's a link to a currently advertised one (but not by me).

FirstClassMale

I think the trouble is that you're using "home strip" which is a water based paint stripper. When I first saw this stuff I bought a tub, my OH used it once then gave up. I really is quite hopeless and we swear by nitromors or another solvent based strpping solution.

System

qvc do a stripper that doesnt smell or cause any irritation if touched cant remember the name but will be buying it next time i see it .

Peartree

I'm currently stripping my own bannisters, etc, and posted a question recently re the home strip, peel away type strippers in the optimistic hope they would make the job easier. I have found none of them work - and homestrip was worse than useless. What has made the job easier, (tried on varnish not paint though - although I'm sure it would work) is this tip I got in an old 'tips book'. Use standard paint stripper (cheap is just as good as branded) and then, as soon as it is on, cover it with a layer of damp newspaper. Leave it for several hours but keep the newspaper damp all the time with a spray bottle. The damp newspaper presses the stripper into the difficult areas - in some areas, with moulding, I put the stripper on the damp paper and 'pushed it in' if that makes sense? It is still messy to remove but I've done a huge amount of paint stripping over the years and this worked better than anything I've ever tried - and will save you an inordinate amount of money!

However, in my experience, every stripping job is hard work and you still need to do a lot of sanding/wire wooling.

Also, as an aside, a little while ago I got this sort of carpet film (with a sticky backing) designed for covering carpet when decorating, in Aldi, and it has been absolutely wonderful. I've put it down on my carpeted stairs and, when I've finished the stripping, have just rolled it up with all the residue on it and thrown it away. Far better than dealing with dust sheets but I guess cheap plastic dust sheets thrown away with every use would work just as well.

Good luck! I'm with you in spirit as tomorrow I'm removing the last bits of residue and finishing off with the sander.

PS I know this stuff is caustic and nasty but when you've done it as much as I have you don't even notice the burning any more!

PPS In fact, stripping and getting a good finish is such hard work that the only reason I'm doing the bannister area is that it can't be sent to be dipped. I'm sending my doors to a local company for restoration and it is worth every penny because, frankly, life is too short.

PPPS I would love to know if you take my advice and how it works.