Stripping the Door

Okay, so.

One of the great things about having a house blog is that it motivates you actually do stuff to your house!

Novel idea, right?

Well, today's "Thing I must get done but really don't want to do" is stripping the bathroom door. I'm hoping that putting these photos up will encourage (ahem...force) me to get this project completed.

So, based on my previous wood stripping experience, I would say there are about four layers of paint on this door, including one final, sticky latex layer that you could pretty much just pull off with your hands if you could ever get ahold of a good, loose piece. Which believe me, we had tried.

As you can see, I've already stripped a small portion and after seeing the wood underneath, I think we're good to go. FYI the other side of the door is a beautiful, dark finish like all of the other doors upstairs. You can see one behind Conan on our fancy new banner up there!

So here's a rundown of the products I'll be using in a well ventilated space I don't mind getting dirty. aka our drafty attic : )

1) Mineral Spirits - this is for cleaning off the excess stripper

2) Paint Stripper - for stripping off the paint

3) A not too nice brush - we got this one at ACE for about a dollar, it has natural fiber bristles

4) Gloves - this is important! Get serious gloves because if there's one thing that sucks, it's burning yourself with chemical stripper. Trust me.

5) A rag - for wiping off your scraper from time to time and for applying mineral spirits

6) A metal container - for your stripper. It must be a metal container. Again, trust me.

7) A scraper - I use this plastic one because it works and there's not much danger of me digging into the wood like there would be with a metal one.

So, there you have it.

My today, to-do.

Wish me luck and check back to see if I actually stay motivated/don't pass out from the fumes. I kid.