It's a slow and tedious job.
Sure, it will be very rewarding to see the staircase in all its vintage glory again but considering that just stripping one.single. spindle takes more than an hour, you know I must be a glutton for punishment. (And really, how many posts titled "Scraped another spindle - yay!" can you write ...or stand to read?)
There are 28 spindles.
And three sections of handrails.
I'll keep you posted but it'll likely take me a while.
Are you using a paint stripper? Which one? It looks like it works pretty good.
ReplyDeleteHey Audrey!
DeleteI have used Citristrip (http://tinyurl.com/a3rlvda) in the past and it works well for the most part. There is that one layer of paint it just doesn't seem to be able to cut through. So ...I'm breaking out the big guns, or rather, the heat gun :o) It works really well and it heats the house *L*
I am visiting from a link at The Ugly Duckling House. I have attempted stripping woodwork before so I know EXACTLY what you are going through! There will be many times when you ask yourself "Why? Why did I start this?" But the result looks like it will be beautiful! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHey, Sarah!
DeleteThank you for stopping by!
I admit I loathe the stripping paint part so I usually leave that to the husband ;o) There are just so many layers ...ugh! I can use all the cheering on I can get! *LOL*
I'm visiting from Ugly Duckling House and DIYDiva. The staircase is going to look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, Suzanna! I hope I'll be able to bring the stair case back to life - keep your fingers crossed!
DeleteI <3 using a heat gun for stripping
ReplyDeleteI do too! Best.Tool.Ever. ;o)
DeleteGood luck with all that stripping. Have you decided what you are going to treat them with once they are all stripped?
ReplyDeleteHello Ann! Yeeaah ... I so do not enjoy the stripping paint part. I usually manage to weasel my way out of all the stripping and leave that to the husband but this time I don't think I have time to wait for him *L* Those other ladies are putting up quite a race here and I have some serious catching up to do! I want to stain and wax the handrail -if- possible; the spindles, stringers, baseboards and risers will be primed and painted white which seems to be the original color scheme (the spindles weren't stained at any point; there are only layers upon layers of paint on them - green and black and turquoise among them - with a beige-y white as the very first layer. The handrail is stained a medium walnut underneath the first layer of paint which is black).
DeleteI know what you're going through! It's an epic task, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end... at least that's what I keep telling myself! If you are looking for a chemical stripper rather than the standard heatgun, I can only recommend "Peel Away". I've tried so many different strippers in the past and Peel Away is one that acutally works! I used it while stripping the wood around or stained glass front door (like you I'm painting everything white afterwards) because I couldn't use the heat gun there. The results were amazing! You can see how well it works here: http://www.littlehouseonthecorner.com/edwardian-fireplace-restoration/.
ReplyDeleteOh, and by the way, I'm going to beat you all in the DIY duel! ;-)
I'm your newest follower... Living in an old house that needs a not of work, I thought it would be fun to see how your doing with your scraping... I'm ready to read 27 more posts about it!
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome! I hope I won't have to write 27 more posts about scraping *L* I can't wait to be done with it and put a fresh clean coat of paint on my stair case! Love your house and will keep in touch!
DeleteI am in the midst of stripping woodwork in our bathroom and I have been using a steamer believe it or not, it is like a heat gun but without the fumes, smoke or burn marks. I recommend it!
ReplyDeletegood luck!