My wood trim has paint on it. I need to know how to remove the paint, should I paint a wood color over it?

You can remove paint from wood trim in three ways.





1) Sandpaper. Really not recommended because it takes a lot of work, creates a lot of dust (which is bad in any event but more so if the paint is pre-1970ish, since paint back then contained lead), and the sandpaper grit can scratch the glass on window trim. It also removes more than the paint - it can also remove a small amount of wood, which can make your final job look uneven.





2) Heat gun and scraper. You can rent a heat gun at most DIY centres (Home Depot, etc.). Works well and is ecologically responsible, but you can't use it to remove paint from window trim because the heat can crack the glass. The more coats of paint you have to remove, the better it works. Read up on it if you decide to - it's easy to use but a bit slow and you have to know what you're doing.





3) Paint-stripping chemicals. These aren't fun to use and aren't terribly ecologically sensitive but they're about your only choice with window trim, since the chemicals won't harm glass. You need eye protection and breathing protection to use them. This is by far the fastest way to remove paint.





';Wood color'; paint simply looks like you painted the trim brown. If you like brown trim that's fine, but it won't look like real wood.





But I do have one caution: sometimes old wood trim is in pretty rough shape under the paint. (Often that's why it was painted in the first place - because the original wood was cheap, had a lot of repairs, or was just ugly.) If this is an old house you might have two or three different types of wood being used to patch up the trim on each window,and if that's the case you can't use stain to make them look even. I'd do a test with some paint stripper to see what was under the paint, then if you don't like it you can just repaint that area when you paint the trim.My wood trim has paint on it. I need to know how to remove the paint, should I paint a wood color over it?
Depending on how much trim you're talking about, you might want to reconsider. Paint removal is tedious and time consuming, and you might not like the wood that's underneath the paint anyway. I once spent weeks stripping old kitchen cabinets only to find out the wood was so old and hard that it wouldn't stain and I absolutely hated the appearance of the wood. Why do you have to paint the trim ';wood'; color - which is basically brown; there's no rule trim has to be white or wood color. Do some decorating research.My wood trim has paint on it. I need to know how to remove the paint, should I paint a wood color over it?
If you think the trim is stain grade, under the aint then just stri the old paint off with something like Soy Gel stripper and then stain.





I would try one side of a door casing first to be sure it is stain grade and not ';fingerjointed'; (paint grade)
Scrape paint with wire brush, scraper, knife, razor blade. Use paint and varnish remover in well ventilated area to remove the stubborn spots. Wood finish will be clean, ready for stain and varnish or poly.
I have used a microfiber cloth and dishwashing liguid and ALOT of elbow grease.