Two Easy Methods To Get Rid Of Paint From Porch Banisters
As soon as you get a feeling that the paint on your porch banister is fading away, you can get rid of the old paint in order to prepare the banister for a new look. Removing the old paint & modifying the look of your porch banister adds to your home's curb appeal, which in turn will make the porch look fresh and well maintained. There are two easy methods in order to successfully get rid of the paint from your banister. When it comes to complicated banisters, using chemical paint strippers can be the best option & as far as a simple straight piece of wood banister is concerned, sanding away the old paint can be a great option.
Method 1: Chemical Strippers
- First of all, attach a drop cloth underneath the banister and protect it with newspapers. Getting rid of the paint is an untidy or dirty process, and the newspapers will help catch the falling paint, which in turn will help you with the cleanup. Protect a piece of the porch banister that you don't want to apply the paint stripper, for instance, metal balusters or decorative newel posts.
- The next step is to apply the paint stripper onto the porch banister with the help of a paintbrush. The majority of the chemical strippers need to sit for betwixt 10 to 15 minutes to be effective, so you need to work in small areas in order to make sure you can scrape them before the stripper dries.
- Give the paint stripper near about 10 to 15 minutes to sit properly. Try out a small area by pushing on it using a paint scraper. As soon as you see the wood underneath the paint, scrape the area by pushing smoothly, taking hold of the scraper at an angle. Keep scraping as long as you get rid of, as much soft paint as you possibly can, without digging into the wood.
- Repeat the process as long as you have stripped the entire porch banister. In order to reach into decorative trim on the banister and in corners, you can use a smaller paintbrush. Scrub difficult-to-reach areas of paint, not removed by the stripper, with the help of steel wool or medium-grit sandpaper.
- Finally, cleanse the banister with water in order to get rid of any remaining stripper. Allow the banister to dry for many hours before applying new paint.
Method 2: Sandpaper
- Load a hand sanding block with the help of heavy-grit sandpaper.
- Now, put in the sanding block on the end of the porch banister and start sanding away the paint. Make several passes over the same area in order to get rid of all the paint before moving to the next area.
- After that, sand tight areas by hand in order to get rid of the paint.
- Finally, you need to follow the heavy-grit sandpaper with the help of fine-grit sandpaper to prepare the banister for new paint.