As I've mentioned here a few times, we moved into a new apartment in mid-March of this year. Though we made it through a turbulent start to things, we're now getting acclimated and looking around at things we can start to improve (there are a LOT).
One of the first items I've been wanting to tackle is the original molding (and doors) which, as you can see in the below picture, have over 100 years of paint and spackle layered over them (nice wood floors though, eh?).
I researched pet-friendly stripping compounds, and found this lovely little product called Ready Strip - which is advertised as safe enough for to stick your hand in (yes, that image on the left is a hand dipping into the bucket). The reviews were tepid at best, but I figured I'd take a chance.
The product is interesting. Basically, you slather it on to a surface with a brush and it goes on in this light green color. The product is all natural and the smell isn't offensive, so there's no need for masks or gloves or anything of that nature. You then allow the compound to sit for a few hours until it turns white. White means you're ready to scrape!
The product claims it can take off up to 7 layers of paint in one application. Well, since I'm pretty sure I have about 40 layers on there, I'm on my third application and still scraping - although I've hit the wood in some places, so I'm super pumped.
There is no question this is tedious work and the remover claims to do about 50 square feet per gallon (it's not cheap!), but there is something extremely reward about pulling off the layers and layers to find the original wood in tact. So far I've found the molding was electric blue, maroon, light green, beige and yellow (or maybe just dirty).
Once I get a little more headway, I'll post an updated photo!
Wow, that is a thickly-coated wall!
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