Victorian Homes – Stripping Outdated Paint from Wood

Victorian Homes

Victorian properties exude stately elegance. Each the interior and the exterior woodwork is ornate and beautiful. Victorian houses radiate the romance of a bygone era. A lot of Victorian homes feature a roof that has a steep pitch and an irregular form, big decorative porches along with texture – the two inside and out. Woodwork on Victorian porches is oftentimes referred to as “gingerbread molding” or merely “gingerbread”. Gingerbread is so extremely thorough it is thought of as a perform of artwork. In the course of the heyday of the Victorian period, gingerbread as well as interior wooden moldings had been hand-carved. Nowadays, gingerbread and moldings can be found both hand-carved or milled by machine. Many firms make replicas of original moldings and gingerbread. But, if you have accurate Victorian molding you have a treasure.

Photo Credit score: Wikimedia Commons

In excess of the many years, homeowners give their properties a fast update with a coat of paint or two. As the many years pass, the a single or two coats of paint a year turn into several thick layers of paint. Coats of paint fill in the carved specifics and make the moldings and gingerbread appear considerably less attractive. Several do-it-yourself property owners could be a tiny afraid of damaging the molding and gingerbread when stripping paint. Normally, paint stripping involves the use of a metal scraper that could depart scratches in the woodwork chemical paint strippers, which can raise the wood grain and make the molding or gingerbread seem fuzzy heat guns, which can trigger burn up or char marks on the wood if left in place too extended as effectively as the reality that you have to scrape the paint from the woodwork or gingerbread as soon as the heat bubbles the outdated paint. The largest problem with getting rid of previous layers of paint is, a lot more than likely you will have layer of lead-primarily based paint somewhere due to the fact years ago that was the only type of paint available.

Lay tarps, old rags or a thick layer of newspaper above the floor the place you will be stripping the paint. If you are stripping paint from gingerbread — defend the porch, decking or side of the residence with a tarp.
Lay strips of minimal tack masking tape in excess of the portion of the wall, ceiling or floor that abuts to the woodwork.

Pick a soy-based mostly paint stripper that encapsulates the paint particles. Encapsulating paint strippers will not enable the release of lead, which is really crucial. Lead, discovered in paint is unsafe to your health and those close to you. Soy based mostly paint stripping gels, will not increase the wood grain. Harsher chemical-based strippers can make the wood feel rough and search fuzzy.

Wrap 220-grit sandpaper about a rubber sanding block and lightly sand the woodwork or gingerbread in preparation for new paint.

Tip
If the molding or gingerbread is curved: fill a Ziplock bag with flour and zip closed. Wrap the sandpaper all around the bag and sand the surface. The flour allow the sandpaper to be versatile and mold to the wood surface.