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I’m gutting a room (the house is nearly 200 years old) . The floor is 7″ wide pine and is painted brown. Ugly. The gaps are 1/4 to 3/8 inches wide and filled with some kind of hard putty. So I stripped a small portion of the brown floor enamel off to find a white paint which is not effected by the strpper at all. I assume it is a milk paint. Does anybody know how to remove this chemically or should I just rent a drum sander and grind away. Also, I’m not sure how to handle the gaps between boards, which are clogged with calk,paint and dirt. If I fill them, I’ll need something flexible which will hold a finish.
thanks, jim l
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Replies
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From the Genuine Old-Fashioned Milk Paint Company web site:
http://www.milkpaint.com/
"How can I remove Milk Paint?
Most modern strippers won't touch Milk Paint. There is a Behlen Masters product, however - P.D.E. paint remover that will remove it. It comes in one pound cans of powder that you mix with water to form a paste. It is the only method of removing milk paint that we know of other than alot of elbow grease and sanding. You can order Behlen's P.D.E. through us or you may be able to find it locally through a distributor who carries Behlen products.
Note: Removing old Milk Paint from an authentic antique may decrease it's value!"
*Try a very strong solution of lye and a stiff bristle brush. If that doesn't work, it's brute force time with the drum sander. Wear heavy rubber gloves, eye protection, and old clothes. Srong alkalis are more dangerous than concentrated acids.
*Cats. Get several.
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I'm gutting a room (the house is nearly 200 years old) . The floor is 7" wide pine and is painted brown. Ugly. The gaps are 1/4 to 3/8 inches wide and filled with some kind of hard putty. So I stripped a small portion of the brown floor enamel off to find a white paint which is not effected by the strpper at all. I assume it is a milk paint. Does anybody know how to remove this chemically or should I just rent a drum sander and grind away. Also, I'm not sure how to handle the gaps between boards, which are clogged with calk,paint and dirt. If I fill them, I'll need something flexible which will hold a finish.
thanks, jim l