Paint stripping

What we strip

Apart from treating floors we also take on paint stripping and general wood restoration.

By “paint stripping” we mean the removal of layers of old paint, which can be achieved by various methods.

Usually we strip doors, shutters, mantel-pieces, skirting boards and door facings. We also strip paint from stairs and spindles as well as from banisters.

How we strip

Depending on the circumstances we will dismantle as much as possible of the woodwork in need of stripping and take the pieces to our workshop where they can be sanded. This way we make the “mess” in our workshop and not in your home!

Of course there will always be certain parts which can't be removed and which will have to be stripped in situ, such as wall panels. After we have stripped the paint from the loose parts at our premises, we will return to your home and carefully reassemble the woodwork. When everything is back in place, we'll make sure that all nail holes are filled and basically try to ensure that the wooden parts look as if they had never been removed.

What makes us different from other companies is the fact that we don't use chemicals to strip the paint from your woodwork. As well as wetting the wood, chemical treatment can cause discolouration and shrinkage. Furthermore, using chemicals is a hazardous business, and undesirable from an environmental point of view.

Wood sanding is our business, and we prefer to scrape and sand the paint from the wood using the most appropriate machines and tools, last but not least using our fingers wrapped in sandpaper. This enables us to reach all the paint hidden behind architraves and beadings, where paint-remover doesn't reach. For more stubborn paint we use a heatgun. Not a blowtorch – you'll see why in the photos on the right, which show the damage done to a door by this very tool and the same door after we'd “fixed” it.

We also take care of any repairs necessary using period wood to patch up broken bits or larger holes. For finishing the wood we can use stains and oils as well as varnish. Apart from old period woodwork we can also freshen up any other wooden surfaces, such as kitchen worktops in need of renovation.

Prices

As with our flooring projects we will come out to inspect and price the job on an individual basis. We cannot give prices over the phone but what can be said is that we are not competing against “dip & strip” companies who offer to strip a door for £30. Stripping by hand is much more time consuming but gives a great finish.

Unfortunately some people are under the illusion that for £30 they will get a finished door. This is clearly not the case – I have seen many disappointed customers who have shown me dipped doors which still had a lot of paint remaining in places as described above.

The prices we quote will be for the finished product and not a half-finished one.

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