Need advice - stripping paint along floor line

13 years ago

I'm in the process of refinishing a built-in linen closet, (picture attached), so far it's gone smoothly. Amazing how many layers and colors of paint there were on the thing.

For the majority of the cabinet, my process was to let a coat of citristrip set for 6-8 hrs, scrape that off and then use a narrow paint brush with a bit more stripper to brush the remaining paint out of the grain/crevices, then follow behind with some odorless paint thinner as cleanup.

My only snag is how to get the last bit of paint off along the carpet line. The cabinet was painted long before the carpet was put down. I've been able to scrape off the latex paint with just a putty knife, but the 3-4 coats of enamel underneath are much harder.

Any ideas how to get that last .25" or so off? And then, how to stain/polyurethane it?

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Comments (4)

homebound
13 years ago
Maybe hand-scrape with small, very sharp wood scraper. Or sand with a pointed palm sander or oscillating tool.

As for how to stain & poly: carefully! I'd maybe tuck a trash bag under the bottom with a putty knife, followed by painter's tape over it to absorb and dry any extra stain that runs down, etc. Then maybe have a 6" drywall knife nearby as you stain to flatten the carpet down if necessary. (Don't forget to wipe off the extra stain per the instructions.) Good luck.
User
13 years ago
http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/2010/02/how-to-paint-floor-trim/ plus plastic

Any thin, reasonably sturdy plastic will work, slid between the carpet and baseboard with a putty knife and then use the drywall blade to hold it away from the molding.

extra-wide painter's tape?
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tpirson
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks guys! I hadn't realized that I would be able to get anything under the baseboard, but I was able to fit the heavy duty bag under the full width and partly under the trim on both sides. I got all the paint off last night and time permitting I'll be prepping it for stain tonight!
User
13 years ago
Yay for the Internet!