Don't Fuss Too Much Over That Old Porch Railing

Dear Mr. HandyPerson: I have about 85 spindles on my porch railing, some painted with oil-based paint and some with latex over oil-based. What is the best product to remove this paint down to the bare wood so they can be sanded and repainted? I need your answer as soon as possible as I'm doing the porch this summer. Thanks. - Louis, Athens, Pa.

Dear Louis: The easiest way to remove all the paint is to disassemble the balustrade entirely and have the individual balusters (the spindles) commercially stripped. This is also the most complicated and expensive way to proceed, however.

But it is not necessary to remove every bit of previous paint before priming and repainting the balusters. It is important to make sure that you have a sound surface on the balusters in order for an oil-based primer and final coat of paint to adhere properly. All you need to do is to use a wire brush and scraper to remove any loose or peeling paint, then sand to smooth out rough spots and (at the same time) roughen smooth surfaces to better accept the primer and paint.

Next, apply a good-quality oil-based primer/sealer, allow it to dry, and paint the balusters with a good exterior latex paint.

If you have balusters with exposed wood adjacent to an area of many layers of old paint, you may want to do a little stripping.

Probably the easiest way to remove some of the paint is to use a heat gun and a number of differently sized putty knives and scrapers to help you get to differently shaped portions of the balusters. You don't want the balusters to look lumpy from previous layers of paint, of course, but it is not essential to remove every trace of previous paint layers. And it is a tremendous amount of slow, picky and labor-intensive work to get all the old paint off completely, whether you are working with chemical strippers or a heat gun, or are doing a lot of sanding.

Many of the commercially available chemical strippers are quite caustic and require careful work, rubber gloves and good ventilation because of toxic fumes. Sanding off the old oil-based paint introduces the potential for lead dust. And it would probably be less expensive for you to buy new balusters than to have them all removed, dipped in stripping chemicals by a commercial outfit and then reinstalled afterward.

Unless you have a lot of spare time and energy, or a lot of money to throw at the porch railings for commercial stripping, the main task here is to remove only the loose or peeling layers of paint and create a firm, relatively smooth surface for the new primer and paint. With luck, a little scraping and sanding (wearing a high-quality dust mask in case of lead) may be all you need to do to get a good surface for attractive results. Mr. HandyPerson knows that this is not true of every situation, but sometimes the easiest approach really is the best. Mr. HandyPerson wants to hear about your home repair matters, interesting questions, funny experiences and useful tips. Write to: Mr. HandyPerson, c/o Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo. 64111.