Senile past oweners

Feliciano
by Feliciano
My old home was wood trim framing the windows and doors. The previous owners seemed to have shellacked them at one point and then painted them white. Now the paint is cracking very badly and I don't want to paint over the cracked paint. What can I do to either strip them or refinish them. Replacing them would be difficult as I have plaster walls that would get damaged from the process.

  6 answers
  • Dfm Dfm on Dec 29, 2017

    citri strip works nicely...and doesn't smell to bad...

  • Joy30150932 Joy30150932 on Dec 29, 2017

    You could try paint remover, but protect your floors if you use this. Otherwise, a good sanding with rough and then smooth sandpaper should work. Use a good primer (Zinsser Bullseye 123) and then paint whatever color you want.

  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Dec 29, 2017

    Use Citristrip a safe non-toxic paint remover

  • Rose/Miros Rose/Miros on Dec 29, 2017

    Using scraps of wood or cardboard to protect the wall, try a wire brush on the paint. If that doesn't work, you'll have to use heat or chemicals. Either way, you need lots of ventilation, so it's not a cold weather job.

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Dec 29, 2017

    I would strip them to the bare wood and then refinish them the way you want them. I'm sure the original painters didn't realize the paint would crack.

  • Jean Proctor Jean Proctor on Dec 29, 2017

    Don't know how old your home is but many "old" homes had var