Stripping an old 1930s door

[phillipthorne]

Hi,

I am about to sell my old 1930s front door and would like to prepare it to be as presentable as possible before I do. It's a big door, being about a meter wide, and has accumulated a lot of paint over the years. I have looked through a lot of the posts on this very helpful site with the intention of researching the various paint stripping solutions that are available nowadays.

The part which concerns me, from what I have read so far, is that I now understand that some strippers can not only discolour the original wood but also affect the integrity of the joints as well. Both of these issues I want to avoid so any advice and pointers on this subject would be appreciated.

I have looked at lots of products from companies like the Decorating Supplies offering to the expensive Syntema solution and the well known Nitromors. At the moment I'm none the wiser about the negative effects as these aren't really highlighted in any of the promotional literature.

I could tackle the door with a heat gun but there are quite a few intricate wood panels to deal with and quite a few glass panels and glazing bars as well, so it will be a very long job to do it this way.

I will keep on researching but any expert advice would be very welcome
Kind regards and best wishes
Phillip

 

[norman]

Hi
I would use a Nitromors product on this job.
It will strip without damage to any mouldings or to the glass/joints.
may take a little longer but you are left with a surface that you can work with.
Norman

 

[phillipthorne]

Thanks Norman,

Having used Nitromors in the past I was looking for something to use that was a little less overwhelming in the fumes department. I have looked at what they are offering now and I see that they have an "All Strip Mousse" product which they say is less troublesome in this way. I would prefer to use this but have no idea of how effective it is. Any feedback on this would be appreciated.

Kind regards and best wishes
Phillip

 

[DaveL]

Having used Nitromors in the past I was looking for something to use that was a little less overwhelming in the fumes department.

How long ago was this? I used some 18 months ago and it is a lot less smelly than how I remember it 20 years ago. I am sure its not all brain fade but the make up has been changed to meet the newer regulations.

 

[Oryxdesign]

Have you tried peel away
http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/p/PALPA1/

 

[compo]

Hi Phillip

I used to work in a country pine workshop and we used to refinish lots of old timber.

In my opinion, try and find a door dipping service. It will save you so much effort and it'll have a lovely even colour.

 

[George_N]

Hi Phillip

I used to work in a country pine workshop and we used to refinish lots of old timber.

In my opinion, try and find a door dipping service. It will save you so much effort and it'll have a lovely even colour.

Dipping is more likely to have an adverse effect on the integrity of the joints than using Nitromors or other stripping chemical that you paint on. I take it that you intend to use a clear finish on the door once it is stripped as you mention evenness of colour as being important. The timber that the door is made from is almost certainly "paint quality" ie. not evenly grained/coloured in the first place, so you may end up having to paint again anyway. I'd stick with Nitromors and/or careful use of a heat gun (be careful to work in a well ventilated place as the old paint will have lead in it).

 

[compo]

Good point George.

Tho in general I found that as long as the door is sound dipping is generally not that bad. But, it has to have tenons, all the better if they're wedged.

If it's dipped the gunk in the bottom of the tank helps to even out and give a lovely warm tone.

 

[phillipthorne]

Hi,

Thanks for all the helpful advice and pointers. I'm actually intending to sell this door on eBay as it's no longer needed and there seems to be a market for this type of door. I just want to make it as presentable as possible as I like to sell things in the best condition possible.

I contacted a local dipping service, as was suggested, and I was told that the charge would be £60, including collection and delivery. It seems from what they offer that they take a lot of care over their process and allow the stripped units to dry in a controlled atmosphere and as naturally as possible. I mentioned that the door had multiple glass panels but nothing was said about having to remove them. I need to check on this if I do decide to go this route.

Although this door has good sized wedged tenons they are showing some signs of needing a little work on them so I'm not sure about how dipping would affect them. I like the idea of having someone else do the work of stripping, although I would be happier if it were a little cheaper, but I feel that if I do the work carefully myself then I'm not likely to create any more problems than may exist already.

The decoratingdirect peel off system looks quite interesting and appears to save a lot of work and mess so I'm going to research that a little more before deciding what to do.

It really is a nice door and I would like to do the best job possible on it so that it's great shape before I offer it for sale. At the moment I don't feel that soaking it in a big bath of caustic liquid is going to be the best thing to do with it so I guess I need to find the most efficient and beneficial method of hand stripping.

Thanks again for all your very helpful input
Kind regards and very best wishes
Phillip

 

[norman]

Hi

I use the craftsman grade Yellow Can, cleans a treat ready for any finish without any damage to the joints, which can happen with the dip and strip method.
I have used this way for the last 25/30 years. no complaints so far.

There are other grades that you could use but for me the yellow tin works. Rember to finish with a wipe of meth`s.
Norman

 

[phillipthorne]

Thanks Norman, that's very useful advice.

Kind regards
Phillip

 

[compo]

Blimey... 60 quid for a door strip :shock:

 

[phillipthorne]

Yes ...

I didn't check with anyone else but I thought that it was quite expensive although they offered free collection and delivery and their web page said that they did after treatment repairs if needed.

It seemed like a good service to me and, having nothing to compare it with, I figured that this was the going rate for a one-off to the "man in the street". I've no doubt that they do deals for multiples and that the trade gets a better price for regular business but that's just the way of things. I just don't have it in my budget to spend that on this door but would have been tempted had it been cheaper although I'm still debating the time and effort needed to do it by hand.

I'm going to do a few tests on the door to see what's entailed as there is a lot of detail around the small window panels and this is where I anticipate that it may be the most labour intensive. I have been thinking about the peel type stripping systems which would appear to be the answer for this problem but I have no experience with using them whatsoever.

Dilemmas r Us

Kind regards and best wishes
Phillip

 

[Matt@]

no dilemma - you've been given best advice by that Norman chap. Just do it outside on a couple of trestles when its slightly windy, that way the fumes will blow away. Any other product is a gimmick IMHO....

 

[phillipthorne]

Thank you Matt, much appreciated

 

[johnnyb]

if you are really suspect about the door then use a flow over stripper service, for £60 this will be a flow over (or a rip off) if its ok generally then hot dip in a modern stripping tank(not usually caustic these days). flow over is basically similar to nitromors but more liquid and stronger. it is applied by pumping through a brush with item on a stainless tray it is all reused annd filtered. it is then washed off with a steam cleaner. dont consider stripping by hand torture to get it all off.

 

[Matt@]

dont consider stripping by hand torture to get it all off.

sorry, this is misleading info IMHO. Every furniture restorer in the UK (mostly) strips by hand. This way you can go some way toward controlling the end result of the finished article. Its pointless stripping a finish if you leave the wood surface in such a condition that makes a nice finish impossible.

 

[johnnyb]

not wanting to get into an argument but no one whos ever stripped paint off an item could ever consider that they would do this for 20 or 30 hours a week. if you strip by hand and are happy great. i get superb results with flowover far superior to hand stripping and in a tenth the time. its a door not a museum piece. and even if it were a museum piece it could still be stripped with flowover.(disclaimer...dont strip museum pieces!!!)
btw water sensitive items old veneers etc cannot be jet washed. everything else potentially could be. people who tend to use french polish can get away with some gunk left on the piece as it wont react acid cat is not so forgiving. anyway gunk left on the piece will come back to haunt you later. hand stripping is also most appropriate to partial strips(tops etc) just to clarify flowover is not caustic it is dichloromethane without the wax added to stop evaporation. paint is an incredible pig to get off as its just so obvious its still there lacquer and polish is much easier but still a nuisance.