How can I paint over the woodwork in an old house?

Linda Andre
by Linda Andre
We purchased a house built in the 1950's. It hasn't been painted in awhile. I'm trying to paint over the trim but the paint comes off easily. I'm now trying to sand the paint off a door. I hope this works. Any suggestions?
  6 answers
  • Susanne Susanne on Jul 05, 2015
    I suggest wear a mask, sand as much as possible, then prime with a good primer and then paint. I had to do the same thing in my 1950s house. (We are talking about inside, right?) If outside, power washing might help get some of the loose paint off and then prime and paint. Primer is the key. Tinted primer is available too. Hope this helps.
  • Darla Darla on Jul 05, 2015
    Any loose paint you will have to sand or scrape off. If the old paint is oil paint, you might have to paint oil paint over it. It would probably be a good idea to prime the old paint especially if the bare wood is showing through.
    • Linda Andre Linda Andre on Jul 05, 2015
      Bare wood is nit showing through. The paint underneath is not loose. The paint I put on top comes off easily. Maybe it is oil paint . Could they have painted over with shellac?
  • Nancy Clement Nancy Clement on Jul 05, 2015
    You may want to check for lead in the paint before you start sanding
  • Tracy C Tracy C on Jul 05, 2015
    Have you tried chalk paint? I would buy a small jar/can in the same color you planned on and see if that works. I did it to my 50's kitchen cabinets (yes.....kitchen cabinets) about 3 months ago and it is holding up better than I had hoped for. I can't afford a new kitchen right now, just too much $$, but I wanted to do something so I painted and replaced the knobs.....way better! good luck
  • Debi53 Debi53 on Jul 05, 2015
    Everyone is giving you good advice. Before sanding, do have your paint checked for lead. You do NOT want to be inhaling that or asbestos, both which were common in pre-1978 houses. Where you have already painted, you have no choice but to sand off the new paint. In areas where you have not painted, I suggest using liquid sandpaper/deglosser. This is so much easier than sanding. I am assuming that you don't have flaking paint. After the liquid sandpaper sets up and becomes tacky, use a primer that will adhere to oil based paint and/or shellac. After this, you can use any kind of paint: chalk paint, latex, or oil & it will stick. The prep & primer are the key to a good long lasting paint job.
    • D & K D & K on Jul 06, 2015
      @Debi53 you're correct in that nobody needs to be inhaling paint dust. It's not for asbestos but rather prior to 1978, some paints still contained lead.
  • Country Design Home Country Design Home on Jul 06, 2015
    Probably oil paint or some kind of oil-based sealer. The other alternative to sanding is using "liquid sander". You paint it on and it bonds with the stuff already on the wood and provides a tacky surface for your paint to stick. Less messy than sanding, especially if you have a lot of wood work to cover.