I am in the process of refinishing some old doors. Most likely 150+ years old. In my hast and in experience, I sanding off, what I am assuming to be old red lead paint, on part of the door. I now wish I had not done that. Could anyone be so kind and point me in the direction of instructions or a product that might allow me to fix my hast?
Thanks,
Phil
Replies
You're asking for a way to remove the remaining lead paint? Any kind of paint stripper will do the job--there are many to choose from, with various trade-offs.
The methylene chloride kinds usually work the best, but methylene chloride is a particularly nasty chemical, so you should only use it outdoors, and let all of the methylene chloride evaporate before disposing of the gunky paint.
There are some less nasty alternatives, such as the citrus-based strippers. They're less harmful to you, but there also less harmful to paint, so you have to be more patient with them.
After you get the bulk of the paint off, you'll still need to do a little bit of sanding, so work outdoors with a good dust mask and goggles. Fortunately, lead paint is not like asbestos, where fibers go everywhere. It pretty much just goes straight down to the ground. Working over a concrete driveway, or in a garage with the door open, will allow you to vacuum up the paint dust without much danger of significant residual contamination.
-Steve
I am actually trying to find out how to match the old paint,I can sand it off no problem. Too late I decided I liked the old finish and wanted to keep it and apply an oil to it.
Oh. As Emily Litella used to say, "Never mind."
So what is the overall status of the door? Over how large an area did you remove the paint? Did you go all of the way to the bare wood? What is the condition of the remaining paint on the door?
-Steve
Do you think it is regular paint or is it milk paint? You can tell a bit by seeing if a small spot will be lifted off with paint remover--milk paint won't be removed that easily.
And, as was asked, how much do you need to put back on.
Sanding off a finish is rarely a good idea. It removes the patina of the wood, right along with the paint.
To match it, take a sample (the door?) to a paint store and have them match it.Gretchen
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