Stripping gloss paint from stairs

jlm29

Our banisters are painted in gloss paint. Many layers I would think- they need freshening up, but I hate gloss, and would like to paint them in satinwood.
Would I get a much better finish if I strip back the paint altogether, or does it matter when I'm painting them again? I could give them a good sanding and undercoat then paint? Or will it just look rubbish?

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

Hi, it would be best to peel back the layers of paint especially if the stairs is heavily coated, to expose the banister and balustrades designs, and sand out the imperfections. You could then apply colortrend prime2, water based and easy to apply and it has a great grip. Apply 2 coats. Then finish in colortrend satin. Maybe two coats. If you want the easier way out, do as you suggest, sand, undercoat and satin.

jack of all

Stripping back to bare wood is labour intensive and probably unecessary, unless the woodwork is very heavily painted. It may be sufficient to rub down all the woodwork with wet and dry paper (lubricated with water and a tiny bit of detergent), focussing on the moulded details, removing any obvious drips or heavy runs with a shary blade or chisel as you go. Still labour intensive but will save you some additional painting...

BrokenArrows

A heat gun and a scraper makes easy work of thick gloss assuming there are not many high detail areas.

jlm29

BrokenArrows wrote: »

A heat gun and a scraper makes easy work of thick gloss assuming there are not many high detail areas.

There's no detail at all really. The newel posts are square too, which will make it very easy to scrape! I have a small fear of using a heat gun, in case I set myself alight. I suppose that's unlikely though!

dodzy

Unless the current visual is unpleasant, don't bother torturing yourself. Just get oil based satinwood and apply 2 coats directly.

antiskeptic

jlm29 wrote: »

There's no detail at all really. The newel posts are square too, which will make it very easy to scrape! I have a small fear of using a heat gun, in case I set myself alight. I suppose that's unlikely though!

Heat guns will produce very unpleasant fumes - especially a problem if the paint is old and contains lead. You'll need a proper gas mask - not just those paper jobbies.

Plus, there's a fair bit of skill involved in using a gun without making an utter mess.

I'd second sticking to a scratch sanding (say 60 grade sandpaper) to provide a key. Try eggshell finish. It's got a low sheen and as a result, hides imperfections far better than higher sheen paints. You can paint over quiet bockety surfaces with success.

Prepare to put at least two coats of water based paint on, probably 3. Water based paints of today don't cover anything near as well as oil based paints.

Arro9001

I would either sand it righ back to bare wood to create the natural finish with sand paper or use a steamer

dodzy

Arro9001 wrote: »

I would either sand it righ back to bare wood to create the natural finish with sand paper or use a steamer

Suggestion 1 will take a forever.
Suggestion 2 will take longer.

jlm29

dodzy wrote: »

Suggestion 1 will take a forever.
Suggestion 2 will take longer.

I did lol a bit at this! If I sand, it will be just to prep it- in a million years I wouldn't try to sand it back down to bare wood, especially when I'm going to paint it again anyhow.
I should probably find a professional to do it and pay them!

d9oiu2wk07blr5

I used the heat gun to strip the paint off the two stair rails, followed by the electric sander and a coat of clear varnish. We disconnected the two planks which made it a lot easier.

lgk

I did a similar job a few years back, started with the heat gun and scrapers. In the end, it was such a pain I just ripped out the handrail, balusters & shoe rail and replaced them with new.