Stripping old paint from woodwork in Hampstead NW3 period properties is sometimes necessary — when paint layers have built up so thickly that profiles and moulding details are lost, when paint is cracking and lifting unstoppably, or when lead content makes sanding dangerous. Here is when and how we approach paint stripping.
When Stripping Is Necessary
We recommend stripping when: skirting boards or architraves have accumulated 20+ coats of paint over 150 years, completely obscuring the original profile; when door panels are stuck with thick, flaking paint; or when previous owners have applied incompatible products (for example, oil-based over water-based) causing fish-eye or poor adhesion throughout.
Lead Paint Considerations
Properties built before 1978 — which includes virtually all of Hampstead NW3's period housing stock — may have lead-containing paint in earlier layers. Sanding lead paint creates toxic dust; heat guns volatilise it. Our lead-safe protocol: HEPA vacuum extraction for all sanding operations, chemical stripping rather than heat guns for lead-suspected layers, and proper disposal of waste materials.
Stripping Methods We Use
We use: chemical stripping paste (Peelaway 1 for limewash and older paints; Peelaway 7 for modern acrylic and water-based); heat gun (only where lead paint has been tested and excluded); carbide scrapers for mechanical removal of loose paint. All stripped surfaces are sanded, primed, and finished to the same standard as new work.
Safe paint stripping specialists for NW3 period properties. Lead paint assessment available on request.
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