97TURBO

The inner door from the front door to our house is really dated and humphy looking. The only thing is its a bloody awkward size, so rather than search for a new door i want to strip it back and re-paint or varnish it. Whats the best way of getting the previous 63 coats of paint off it?

Nitro mors or something similar?

Cheers

The Zohan

If you can spare the door then take it to someone who can acid dip it to remove the paint, takes a few hours but ti then need to dry out for a couple of days or so.

If not then nitromors will do it, score the paint with a scraper or such to ensure it penetrates and keep applying as coats come off.

Or a heat gun will do the trick. The more effort you put in the better it will be unless you get it dipped which is easy

hodgy0_2

get it dipped --- it will be the best £15 you ever spent

unless off course you earn less that 50p an hour -- its just not worth it

nixxon

Dip it, and it may well warp!

Dedrater

Get a propane gas gun from B&Q less then a tenner last time I bought one and will strip the paint off in no time.

falkster

Get it dipped....wish i'd seen my mates before I spend hundreds on replacing all my internal doors!!

unclebuck

It may fall to pieces too.

Not acid btw - caustic soda.

mykp

I'd dip it, but you might have to glue it back together again depending on the age of the doors. Our house is 80 year old and the doors when we moved in had had the original glass panels filled in the 70's. We had them dipped and this took all the glue out as well as the paint and then we had the glass put back in.

Also be aware if you have them dipped any filler and holes will show up as well. Not a problem if your going to paint but if your varnishing then you'll have to fill and sand.

zip106

Whatever you do DON"T score it with a scraper!
You'll more than likely go through the paint to the wood and then have a **** load of filling to do before you re-paint it.

Best to get it dipped.

There are usually 2 types of 'dipping'. A caustic one and a water-based one.
The water-based one should cost a bit more but it shouldn't dissolve the glue in the joints or raise the wood grain as much as a caustic dip.

You'll need to re-hang the door and leave it for a week at least, to properly dry out before painting and to let it shrink back to size.
Don't be tempted to shave any wood from the door after you've hung it as it swells quite a bit after it's had the stripper jet washed off it, so it won't fit properly to start with.