Stripping and painting cast-iron fireplaces

[DIY Novice]

We've got cast-iron fireplaces in each of our 3 bedrooms which have serveral layers of paint on them which I want to remove. We've just skimmed the bedroom walls so the fireplaces can't be removed though we haven't yet painted(or carpeted) so a little mess isn't such a big issue.

What's the best method of stripping the paint bearing in mind that it may include lead paint. I don't particularly want to use highly toxic/dangerous materials like Nitromors. I also don't want to spend weeks at the job as I've got a lot of other stuff that needs doing. I've seen this stuff called Home Strip from

which sounds promising. Has anybody used this successfully? Also my other half would like to paint the fireplaces in white. What type of paint would you recommend. The house is Edwardian (1903) and the fireplaces will not be used to burn anything.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Your loss.

Youe problem

Your best bet ios to take them out and get them profesionally stripped. Any mmetods you may use will not be as good, especially given your rtaher (to me) winmpy attutude. Paint stripping dcast irion is ot a question of a dust over with Mtr Sheen

Or sll themn to a reclaim yard in P/ex for some already stripped ones.

If I were doing painted cast irion, I'd phopshoric acid dip it to stabilize, and powder coat in an industrial way, or use two pack car paint on it for a gloss finnish, sprayed on. Take to local car fix shoppe.

[Christian McArdle]

Without Nitromors, you won't be successful. It's pretty hard work even with Nitromors. There is no quick and easy solution, I'm afraid.

Christian.

[Andy Dingley]

Read the thread "Grit blasting indoors". You'll need a compressor (hire ?) .

Rip up drop cloths to control the flying dust and grit. The lead is no real additional problem, just use the right sort of repsirator. You'll also need a blasting hood, which you can buy or easily sew up.

[[news]]

not true, there are 2 that I can think of, one of which I've done.

there are a few Lye based pastes that can be applied with a spatula and covered with clingfilm, left for 24 hours and several layers of paint are easily removed. it's a highly repetitive job amd some products don't do what they say on the tin as well as you might imagine.

here's one that lets you order a sample, suck it and see

the best way to strip cast iron is to sand/grit/bead blast which is possible in situ but much easier if the fireplace is removed and once it's removed it's deffo best to take it down to your local architectural antiques yard to have it dipped, pressure washed and blacked*

buff it up with original Zebo for best effect.

RT

*guess which one I did

[Rob Morley]

Rip them out and take them to a shotblaster. Next time think of it before you plaster the walls.

[Owain]

I would recommend a wipe with WD40 to stop them going rusty (as deomonstrated on the BBC2 salvage programme), or grate blacking.

Owain

[John Stumbles]

I didn't find nitromors much use. I got a lot off with Kling Strip

it didn't get right down into the crevices (maybe I didn't leave it long enough). It was hard to apply, being very thick - like almost-set plaster - and very difficult to get off since the fireplace was in-situ and I couldn't hose or pressure-wash it down. I don't know if PeelAway 1 would have been any better, even Ronstrip.

A much better (an easier) result can be had by removing the fireplace. A friend did this and put it on the bonfire on Nov 5th, and it came up beautifully.

Even allowing for time to remove it, refit it and make good your plaster I think this is possibly the way to go.

[Stuart Noble]

Caustic dipping is probably the cheapest option. A coat of wax stops them rusting

[DIY Novice]

Thanks for your replies even the slightly sarcastic ones!

I tried the Home Strip stuff and was not impressed, it seems to only remove one coat at a time and would take weeks of effort. (£8.50 down the drain)

I then tried Peel Away 1 and it was superb. You apply generously with a spatula and put a sheet of paper on top to stop it drying out. Leave for 25 hours and the whole lot comes away beautifully. It works really well on decorative areas where you can put a really thick layer. A bucket of hot water , a scrubbing brush and a kitchen roll later and it was almost complete.

A few spots remained on I dabbed a second layer and left for a few hours before scrubbing off. It really is quite easy and very satisfying.

If any of you are thinking of doing this give it a go before even considering removing the fireplace to be sand blasted which definitely seems to be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!

I've put some WD40 on it for the time being until I decide whether or not to paint it and it looks really good.

[Andy Dingley]

FFS No !

Get a tin of Liberon's black patinating wax (Axminster have it) and use that. It's no use on a fire that you light, but it's great for one that stays cold.

If you are going to light it, get some Zebo (supermarket or hardware shop - black and yellow tube). This is heatproof, but it can smear if you lean against it.