Expert: Eileen Cronk - 12/16/2006

Question
I recently purchased an older home built in 1948.  Everything is updated and/or replaced.  All of the door frames, interior doors and baseboards are original and seem to be oak (light wood with reddish throughout.
I have stripped one closet door along with the frame, trying different strippers on each piece to figure which works best.  I want to try a heat gun, is that quicker or should I stick with the semi-pastes that I have used?  Right now I am using BIZ paint stripper, which I purchased at Kmart, it seems the best at going through the 1/16th of an inch of paint layers to get to the wood.  Any suggestions, I have 6 more doors and all the baseboards in a 1000 sq. ft. home.  Sorry so long, Thanks.


Answer
Hi Stephanie
Nice to hear from you.
Oh what a job you face but it sounds like you are very keen so you will get through it and have a lovely house when finished.
Yes I suggest a heat gun when the paint is that thick.
But the doors must be removed and the job done outdoors as the fumes are dreadful and it could burn the house down if anything caught fire.
Of course do not attempt the base boards with the gun. Stick to the stripper there. It sounds like you found one that will do the job.
And be aware that after you remove the paint with the heat gun you still have to use stripper to remove the residue.
Your question of "is the heat gun quicker" depends a lot on if you get in the groove of using it.
A lot of people use them incorrectly and its slow.
Start at an end and use a 3 inch metal scraper.
As the end softens, get your scraper under the paint and leave it there as you slowly move the gun forward followed by the scraper. This way you should get a 2 foot strip of paint off before stopping to clean the scraper.
Very best of luck on a sucessful completion of this great project.
Regards
Eileen