Stripping paint off old front door

[Peter Kay]

I have offered to repair and re-paint my friend's front door. It's an old house, c. 1900, and has a panelled front door. The bottom panel has split which I intend to repair - no problem so far. The whole exterior surface then needs re-painting. My friend has lived there for 30+ years and as far as she knows it's the original door with numerous coats of black paint. I'm not sure of the best method of stripping, especially in view of lead/arsenic paints which may have been used in the past. As it's a front door, for security reasons, I'd like to get the stripping done in situ if feasible, but certainly within a day. Any advice?

[Brian]

There are companies which dip them, which strips the door back to bare wood. However, it isn’t an in situ method.

Chemical stripper and scrapping will work but can take a long time and require sanding later - by hand in detail areas, to prepare for primer etc.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Try a pressure washer.

[Andrew]

Mad suggestion. Well adhered solvent-based lead paint is not going to give up without a struggle.

A grand design program from Hove showed an old industrial building having its oak beams stripped by blasting with solid CO2 pellets, which apparently does less damage to the patina than sand blasting.

[Brian]

Certainly a ‘domestic’ pressure washer would, at most, only remove already flaking paint etc- which may be enough.

A sand blaster may work but it is messy and, unless you have a compressor etc, would require hiring one. Bead blasting may be a bit harsh if there are details - profiles etc- you wish to keep.

Plus, as the OP suggests, lead in old paint is more than likely so dust masks etc will be needed for any dry mechanical method generating dust. I THINK arsenic was only used in green paint but I’m not sure.

If the existing surface is sound and the detail still good, perhaps just a good ‘rub down’ ( still with a mask etc), prime etc where needed, and a good top coat with a modern paint is the best way if the door can’t be removed and caustic dipped to remove all the old paint.

[alan_m]

Consider also the painting afterwards. For exterior my preference is for solvent based paint which may be surface dry in perhaps 6 hours but in my experience with modern paints not robust (cured) for days afterwards. If you close the door whilst the underlying paint is still soft then around the edges where it interfaces with the door frame is likely stick to the door frame and pull off when opened.

[stephen.hull]

We used to use french chalk or talcum powder to stop paint edges sticking, only when touch dry though and next morning simply wipe off with a damp cloth.

[Rob Morley]

Smearing vasline on the frame is one way I've seen of reducing the chance of damage or sticking.

[Peter Kay]

Thanks for your comments. As a result, I've decided to go with a chemical stripper (Nitromors). Tried a sample patch and it seems to do a reasonable job although the paint isn't as thick, i.e., not as many coats as I expected. I had already decided to use a solvent based paint, so the tips on preventing it sticking to the frame when closed are especially welcome. Cheers