How to Strip Paint Off of Framed Doorways
- 1). Remove the door from the frame by pushing out the bolts that hold the hinges together. Do this by tapping the bottom end of the bolt gently with a hammer and lifting them out. Use a screwdriver to remove the hinge portion attached to the door frame and set everything aside.
- 2). Place a dropcloth on the floor surface where you will be working. Push it as close to the baseboards as possible to fully protect from drips. Tape off the edge where the frame meets the wall with a 2-inch-wide section of painter’s tape.
- 3). Open as many windows as you can in the area where you will be working, and place an oscillating fan in the center of the room to help ventilate during the stripping process. Wear gloves to prevent burns from the chemicals and a face mask to avoid inhaling the stripper.
- 4). Apply a thin coat of paint stripper to the door frame using a 2-inch brush. Try not to get the stripper on the painter’s tape, but cover the door frame completely with the stripper. Allow the stripper to sit for the amount of time listed on the manufacturer’s instructions. Plan on at least 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the brand. The paint will begin to bubble as the stripper starts working.
- 5). Test a small corner of the door frame with the plastic putty knife by scraping the surface of the paint. If the paint peels easily from the wood, continue peeling the rest of the paint. If it does not, allow the stripper to sit 10 minutes longer. Some door frames that have multiple layers of paint will require two to three applications of paint stripper.
- 6). Sand the surface of the door frame using 80 grit sandpaper. Keep sanding until the surface is smooth and even.
- 7). Wash the wood’s surface with a mixture of trisodium phosphate and warm water. Mix the solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions for bare wood surfaces. Allow the surface to dry before priming and painting as usual.
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