I thought I could strip a door in an afternoon. It took four days.

The old paint on my front door was a mess, so I figured a quick sand and repaint was a weekend job. I started with a heat gun and scraper, but that just melted the top layers. Underneath were at least six coats of oil-based paint that had turned into a rock-hard shell. I ended up renting a proper infrared paint stripper for $45 a day, which helped, but the detailed panels were a nightmare. The whole process, from start to a sanded, ready-to-paint surface, was a solid 96 hours of work. Anyone have a better method for multi-layer paint on detailed woodwork?

3 comments

3 Comments

finley_smith18d ago

Sounds like a chemical stripper might have been the move.

henderson.hayden18d ago

Yeah, that would have been the SMART call. My method involved a heat gun, a putty knife, and a truly shocking amount of swearing. The fumes alone probably took a year off my life. Ended up with a floor that looks like a woodpecker had a bad day. Live and learn, I guess, but mostly just live with the mistakes.

wadejenkins18d ago

Oh man, I saw a video where a guy used a heat gun on old tile adhesive and basically melted his shoe to the floor. The smell must have been awful. He said it was like burning plastic and regret. Sounds like you had a similar kind of adventure.