Thread: Sandblasting timber sash windows to remove old paint

HI,

I'd be careful to not damage the timber - if its a soft broad grained timber like Oregon (maybe even cedar) you may find that the timber is damaged enormously. I would be inclined to use a paint-on chemical paint stripper like poly stripper or other brand.... My old man once used a blowtorch to blister the paint off... seemed to work ok except he burnt some timber here and there...

Try a heat guyn first and see how it goes. They are only around $20 at bunnies

I used a heat gun to very quickly remove flaking paint from the windows and frames of our old house. A 1920's addition has windows made from Western Red Cedar - this timber has hard bits and soft bits in the grain. Care is needed with this timber - the soft bits wear away very quickly with sanding, leaving a very obvious raised grain (like those cheap internal "timber look" doors). Okay if you like the look but, to me, it just looks like a bad paint job.

Applied Flood's Penetrol to the bare timber and added recommended amount to primer, then undercoat & two coats of gloss enamel. Beautiful!!

You can't do it all in one weekend but you end up with a good paint job that is going to last.

Definitely a heat gun first. There is also a very good striping product altho slightly expensive, called Peelaway. I wouldn't sand blast for the reasons mentioned and also you may frost the glass in places too. And if it is lead paint underneath then you will blow it everywhere. Best to take care of your family's health, your neighbour's health and the environments health...

Cheers
Michael

Careful using a heat gun if the paint contains lead (which is likely given the age of the windows). Easiest way I have found to do this is to take them to the local paint strippers where they dip them in a chemical bath to remove all paint.

Dipping doors and windows in a bath full of caustic may get the paint off but it will also degrade the timber (turns it grey) and will dissolve the glue in the joints. I've repaired literally hundreds of casement windows and quite a few doors that were treated this way. The joints get loose and the door/window sags and sometimes even drops the bottom rail. Beware!

Mick

Mick
That hasn't been my experience. Maybe it depends on who does it (and what chemicals they use). Attached is a photo of some doors we had done. The only effect was that the glass had to be re-puttied - which wasn't a problem because it needed doing anyay. Certainly didn't turn the timber gray or affect the joints.

The ones that I repaired had all been dipped (or rather, soaked) in caustic soda.

Mick

Originally Posted by Theremin

Mick
That hasn't been my experience. .

Theremin,

I'm guessing you went to "the Strippers" at Woolloongabba, (I only wrote that to show that I could spell Woolloongabba)?

I've seen tons of stuff they've done, and nothing matches Mick's experience. (a rare disagree with Mick moment!)

Occasionally some timber will go furry after the waterblasting, but nothing a light sand won't repair.

The only damage to joints I've seen has been due to paint being removed which once "glued" them together. Remember that painted timber was painted for a reason, firstly to protect the timber, and secondly to cover all the dodgy joinery. The notion of perfect workmanship in the good old days is a romantic myth, look carefully at old hand built stuff and you'll see that as now, the tradesmen were trying to make a quid, and took many short cuts to do that. I've seen window joinery (m&t) where the joints had been bogged with linseed oil putty and left to go hard, and I'm guessing that's the root of the problems Mick is describing.

Pro Stripping companies have the gear, the experience and the knowledge to do it very economically.

It's not worth buying the stripper, just get it done!!

Cheers,

P

Ok now that we have the removing of paint explained...

How do you paint the darn things?

I have a double sash window.. How do I paint and clean up the rod that the window slides up and down on? (now don't be rude...or is that just me? lol)

I don't like the idea of removing the window pane to do it...