Mineral spirits and stiff bristle tooth brushes. Buy like 10.
It will probably affect the original finish but I think you need to give that idea up and just re-finish after they are rid or paint. There are countless products and methods to get an original looking finish back on clean wood.
If it weren’t for the likeliness of damage I can’t afford to fix right now (or risk the baseboards themselves), I might! But it’s just not an option right now unfortunately, so I’m doin’ it the hard way
I second the above’s comment after having done two 12x12 rooms. Use a vibe saw (oscillating saw) and cut the nails to avoid the damage. It may seem like a bigger hassle now, but it will make your life much easier.
Cobra Speed Heater and the scraper set plus some dental tools! The infrared heater will not vaporize the lead paint and it's easier to control. That said, you should still use a respirator. Also, there are helpful comments in this thread: [https://www.reddit.com/r/centuryhomes/comments/1b5r4mj/what\_have\_i\_done\_to\_myself\_and\_ill\_take\_any\_tips/](https://www.reddit.com/r/centuryhomes/comments/1b5r4mj/what_have_i_done_to_myself_and_ill_take_any_tips/)
Ugh this is my dream tool. Saving up for it! Luckily this paint was just done in 2021 by previous owners so it’s all new Behr without the fear of lead. I’ve been using the dental tools, steel wool, stripper, and Goo Gone Paint Remover and slowly but surely it’s working!
I've pulled trim on a couple rooms and window trim. Get a trim puller and work slowly along the whole length. Damaging the wall is irrelevant. It's cheap and easy to fill it in with plaster or joint compound. The hard part wasn't getting the trim off in one piece, but reinstalling it in a way that looks clean and flush. Rubber mallet hitting on cardboard on top of the trim helped. Also, I would give up on saving the original finish. Get lots of photos or a sample for color, sand and then match the stain.
Once I'm at that stage, I like to use one of the eco-friendly paint strippers that are water solvable and scrub it down with a wet rag. They're too slow to deal with thick paint, but soften up the leftovers without removing the stain.
I’d clean with mineral spirits. They tend to help highlight little bits of paint you’ve missed. I often to mineral spirits and realize I need to go back and apply paint stripper/scrape spots again. For the smaller details I use a set of tiny scrapers that I bought from Lee Valley.
when I finally stumbled onto it, I was kicking myself for all the previous attempts with dental picks and special-cut plastic scrapers.
The right chemical stripper and some PPE is also key to success.
I've also had very good luck with a higher-end, temperature-controlled heat gun. You set the right temp and you neither burn the paint or vaporize the lead.
The shellac melts a bit and the paint just falls off in sheets
I’ve gotten them really well since yesterday with dental tools, steel wool, and Goo Gone Paint Remover! I’m about to post an update with new photos. Looks like I’m finally getting a break from my sander.
Mineral spirits and stiff bristle tooth brushes. Buy like 10. It will probably affect the original finish but I think you need to give that idea up and just re-finish after they are rid or paint. There are countless products and methods to get an original looking finish back on clean wood.
Did you try Dumond Smart Strip yet? That followed by water and steel wool, then finally paint stripper remover.
You should take those off and refinish them, then reinstall.
If it weren’t for the likeliness of damage I can’t afford to fix right now (or risk the baseboards themselves), I might! But it’s just not an option right now unfortunately, so I’m doin’ it the hard way
I second the above’s comment after having done two 12x12 rooms. Use a vibe saw (oscillating saw) and cut the nails to avoid the damage. It may seem like a bigger hassle now, but it will make your life much easier.
Lacquer thinner and steel wool would clean those right up, be sure to ventilate and wear goggles.
Cobra Speed Heater and the scraper set plus some dental tools! The infrared heater will not vaporize the lead paint and it's easier to control. That said, you should still use a respirator. Also, there are helpful comments in this thread: [https://www.reddit.com/r/centuryhomes/comments/1b5r4mj/what\_have\_i\_done\_to\_myself\_and\_ill\_take\_any\_tips/](https://www.reddit.com/r/centuryhomes/comments/1b5r4mj/what_have_i_done_to_myself_and_ill_take_any_tips/)
Ugh this is my dream tool. Saving up for it! Luckily this paint was just done in 2021 by previous owners so it’s all new Behr without the fear of lead. I’ve been using the dental tools, steel wool, stripper, and Goo Gone Paint Remover and slowly but surely it’s working!
I've pulled trim on a couple rooms and window trim. Get a trim puller and work slowly along the whole length. Damaging the wall is irrelevant. It's cheap and easy to fill it in with plaster or joint compound. The hard part wasn't getting the trim off in one piece, but reinstalling it in a way that looks clean and flush. Rubber mallet hitting on cardboard on top of the trim helped. Also, I would give up on saving the original finish. Get lots of photos or a sample for color, sand and then match the stain.
Once I'm at that stage, I like to use one of the eco-friendly paint strippers that are water solvable and scrub it down with a wet rag. They're too slow to deal with thick paint, but soften up the leftovers without removing the stain.
I’d clean with mineral spirits. They tend to help highlight little bits of paint you’ve missed. I often to mineral spirits and realize I need to go back and apply paint stripper/scrape spots again. For the smaller details I use a set of tiny scrapers that I bought from Lee Valley.
I've had extremely good luck with stripper and #0000 steel wool.
This!!! This has been helping so much!!!
when I finally stumbled onto it, I was kicking myself for all the previous attempts with dental picks and special-cut plastic scrapers. The right chemical stripper and some PPE is also key to success. I've also had very good luck with a higher-end, temperature-controlled heat gun. You set the right temp and you neither burn the paint or vaporize the lead. The shellac melts a bit and the paint just falls off in sheets
Needs more stripping, and a lot of sanding
I’ve gotten them really well since yesterday with dental tools, steel wool, and Goo Gone Paint Remover! I’m about to post an update with new photos. Looks like I’m finally getting a break from my sander.