Sanding Skirting Boards
Mark Smith
I was going to repaint the skirting in my old victorian terrace, but
realised that there must be 20 years and just as many layers of paint that's
built up. I'd like to sand the skirting down, and maybe even clear varnish
them. I've tried using checmical strippers in the past and it's just too
messy.
Question is, what sort of sander can I hire? I've got a hand-held Bosch
PDA180 and it's just going through the pads like dirty water, without any
impact!!!! I'm concerned that the mouldings won't get touched!!!!
Stuart
Suggest you bite the bullet and take them off and get them stripped .
Sanding them is going to be sooooo messy but if you insist in doing it
yourself get a hot air gun but even then you will probably find the
last layer is a dark brown gungy stuff-dont know what the Vics used
but it is messsy.
Stuart
---------
Remove YOURPANTS before E-mailing Me
Steve
"Mark Smith" <smit...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9rslp4$52v$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
> Hi,
>
> I was going to repaint the skirting in my old victorian terrace, but
> realised that there must be 20 years and just as many layers of paint
that's
> built up. I'd like to sand the skirting down, and maybe even clear varnish
> them. I've tried using checmical strippers in the past and it's just too
> messy.
>
gerant
contains lead.
I agree with earlier posters, chemical stripper or hot air gun rather than
sanding.
gerant
jamesey
> sanding.
>
> gerant
been there, done that.... and it was bloody hard work - never got the
skirting looking anything like stainable and repainted it in the end
(at least theres 2mm less paint on it now.
discovered 3M paint and varnish removal pads in B&Q after that -
theyre like a plastic scourer which fits into a drill and scours the
paint off the surface of the wood, They come in two grades, i used the
heavy duty version - use the drill to spin it down the grain and it
doesnt damage the wood too badly (depending on hows its used you might
end up with slightly "distressed" wood but that doesnt look out of
place in an old house). Ive used this to strip the paint from four
door frames which were later wire wooled, stained and oiled - they
look pretty good really. also used it to remove paint from skirting in
another room before painting - the pads still going strong even now.
word of warning though... the dust produced is PHENOMENAL, dustmask
and goggles essential (though i kept not bothering and regretting it
later)
If you do go down the chemicals route the Ronstrip trowel on stuff
is pretty good - cover it with clingfilm to stop it drying out and
leave it on all day.
good luck,
jamesey
The Admiral
news:9rslp4$52v$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
Use a good-quality hot-air gun. I wouldn't bother with the hair-dryer type
ones. I think B&D manufacture one that is elongated and lasts longer than
the usual type and is around 30 quid. I used one on my 75 year old woodwork
and it did the job very nicely. I used paint stripper and wire-wool to
remove the last ingrained layer. It isn't all that messy as long as you
attack small areas at a time. Circular movements will do the trick.
The Admiral.
Stuart Noble
Mark Smith wrote in message <9rslp4$52v$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com>...
Sanders are hopeless for paint removal. The friction softens the paint,
which bonds to the abrasive.
Dragging a sharp chisel or a piece of clean cut 4mm glass is very effective
(and quick when you get the hang of it) , and the stuff to clear up is then
dry and in biggish chunks. Still leaves you the moulded bit to do by another
method.
Ian
<Admiral...@yahoo.com> writes
>
>Use a good-quality hot-air gun. I wouldn't bother with the hair-dryer type
>ones. I think B&D manufacture one that is elongated and lasts longer than
>the usual type and is around 30 quid.
How does this differ from the 'hair dryer' type? They're the only type
I've seen and is the sort I've got. If there's something better out
there I would be interested.
--
Ian
Mike Norman
"Mark Smith" <smit...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9rslp4$52v$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
If there is Victorian paint under more modern paint watch out for creating
dust. The lead content of old paint could be very high, and you certainly do
not want to be breathing it in.
Mike
Philip Wagstaff
>
> I was going to repaint the skirting in my old victorian terrace, but
> realised that there must be 20 years and just as many layers of paint that's
> built up. I'd like to sand the skirting down, and maybe even clear varnish
> them. I've tried using checmical strippers in the past and it's just too
> messy.
>
As others have said use a hot air stripper and do not burn the paint
on.
For the mouldings I would suggest making a metal scraper to fit as
well as you can. It should not be that difficult to do.
That should get off most of the paint but the finish won't be anywhere
good enough for varnishing, there will be paint imbedded in the grain
not to mention bits and pieces of paint in ackward - impossible -
areas. I'd suggest repainting.
If you really must varnish (over rated IMHO) I reckon it would mean
starting from scratch with new skirting.
--
Phil Wagstaff
Amiga 1200T 4.3gb 32mb 60/50 56k
ICQ splinter #47060281
IRC journo
Max Bone
>
>I was going to repaint the skirting in my old victorian terrace, but
>realised that there must be 20 years and just as many layers of paint that's
>built up. I'd like to sand the skirting down, and maybe even clear varnish
>them. I've tried using checmical strippers in the past and it's just too
>messy.
Use Peel Away 1 - Alkaline paste which actually emulsifies the paint.
Apply, cover with blanket, leave for 24-48 hours. Peel off blanket
carefully together with 95% of the paint. Any residue is washed away
with a little wire wool:
http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/p/PALPA1/
Leaves you with a completely paint free substrate and can be
repainted/stained/varnished (after neutralising). Peel Away is really
the only solution for the easy removal of coatings on site, from
carvings/mouldings without damaging the relief.
Regards
--
Max Bone Decorating Direct Ltd
http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/
hundreds of products - secure online ordering - delivered to your door
Mark Smith
look it. Don't know how much it would cost to replace the skirting in the
one room...
But I'll investigate....Any volunteers? :-)
"Mark Smith" <smit...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9rslp4$52v$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
Natural Philosopher
Why not replace the lot. By the time you have stripped the old, its
probly cheaper.
--
The real question is, does the mortar hold the bricks apart, or does it
stick them together?
Natural Philosopher
Stuart wrote:
>
> On Thu, 1 Nov 2001 23:27:23 -0000, "Mark Smith"
> <smit...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
> >Hi,
> >
> >I was going to repaint the skirting in my old victorian terrace, but
> >realised that there must be 20 years and just as many layers of paint that's
> >built up. I'd like to sand the skirting down, and maybe even clear varnish
> >them. I've tried using checmical strippers in the past and it's just too
> >messy.
> >
> >Question is, what sort of sander can I hire? I've got a hand-held Bosch
> >PDA180 and it's just going through the pads like dirty water, without any
> >impact!!!! I'm concerned that the mouldings won't get touched!!!!
> >
> >
> >
>
> Suggest you bite the bullet and take them off and get them stripped .
Is rthere anyone else here who feels that this whole fashion business of
stripping/sanding crap victorian pine is just an excuse for the sheds to
sell idle people a lot of time consuming rubbish that produces in the
end an inferior product to that which a good chippy could do by
replacing with e.g. MDF mouldings?
> Sanding them is going to be sooooo messy but if you insist in doing it
> yourself get a hot air gun but even then you will probably find the
> last layer is a dark brown gungy stuff-dont know what the Vics used
> but it is messsy.
> Stuart
> ---------
>
> Remove YOURPANTS before E-mailing Me
--
The Admiral
news:3BE61CAF...@nospam.everywhere.net...
>
>
> Stuart wrote:
> >
> > On Thu, 1 Nov 2001 23:27:23 -0000, "Mark Smith"
> > <smit...@btinternet.com> wrote:
> >
> > >Hi,
> > >
> > >I was going to repaint the skirting in my old victorian terrace, but
> > >realised that there must be 20 years and just as many layers of paint
that's
> > >built up. I'd like to sand the skirting down, and maybe even clear
varnish
> > >them. I've tried using checmical strippers in the past and it's just
too
> > >messy.
> > >
> > >Question is, what sort of sander can I hire? I've got a hand-held Bosch
> > >PDA180 and it's just going through the pads like dirty water, without
any
> > >impact!!!! I'm concerned that the mouldings won't get touched!!!!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Suggest you bite the bullet and take them off and get them stripped .
>
>
>
> Is rthere anyone else here who feels that this whole fashion business of
> stripping/sanding crap victorian pine is just an excuse for the sheds to
> sell idle people a lot of time consuming rubbish that produces in the
> end an inferior product to that which a good chippy could do by
> replacing with e.g. MDF mouldings?
>
<SNIP>
No, I think that the old Victorian pine was far better quality than the
stuff you get in the sheds. The sight of natural wood grain compared to
painted 'wooden' surfaces is beyond comparison. Thing is that it is all down
to personal preference though. Compare laminate flooring with proper sanded
old floorboards. No competition....
Just an opinion.
The Admiral.
Inge Jones
smit...@btinternet.com (Mark Smith) wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I was going to repaint the skirting in my old victorian terrace, but
> realised that there must be 20 years and just as many layers of paint th
> at's
> built up. I'd like to sand the skirting down, and maybe even clear varni
> sh
> them. I've tried using checmical strippers in the past and it's just too
> messy.
>
> Question is, what sort of sander can I hire? I've got a hand-held Bosch
> PDA180 and it's just going through the pads like dirty water, without an
> y impact!!!! I'm concerned that the mouldings won't get touched!!!!
I've got a similar house, and started to sand a skirting but the paint was
really thick and it was taking ages. I ended up using a hot air gun and
it came away really easily, and the bottom coat was not brown and sticky
but a sort of puttyish textured off-white. That melted off to a large
extent, apart from what was trapped between the grain, which came off
easily by sanding.
There was a smell, and of course I didn't know what was in the fumes, but
wearing a "level 3" dustmask - one of those with a green nose-wire and a
fluffy outside, stopped the smell getting through, which I decided was
therefore excluding those fumes which were released from *my* skirting
board (ymmv)
Gavin Hall
>
> In article <9rslp4$52v$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com>,
> smit...@btinternet.com (Mark Smith) wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I was going to repaint the skirting in my old victorian terrace, but
> > realised that there must be 20 years and just as many layers of paint th
> > at's
> > built up. I'd like to sand the skirting down, and maybe even clear varni
> > sh
> > them. I've tried using checmical strippers in the past and it's just too
> > messy.
> >
> > Question is, what sort of sander can I hire? I've got a hand-held Bosch
> > PDA180 and it's just going through the pads like dirty water, without an
> > y impact!!!! I'm concerned that the mouldings won't get touched!!!!
>
Can you take the Skirting boards off the wall? If you can, why don't
you get them stripped professionally? I did this with my
boards/architrave and front door, it cost about 40p /metre and they were
all dipped!
The results were fantastic, far better than I could possibly hope to
have achived doing it by hand.
For info I used Strippers of Rochester, I couldn't fault the service.
They have a WWW site but it doesn't appear to be up at the moment.
http://www.strippersofrochester.co.uk/
IHTH
Gavin
Dave Plowman
Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> Why not replace the lot. By the time you have stripped the old, its
> probly cheaper.
Because modern wood doesn't look anything like as good when varnished.
Also, not all Victorian mouldings are readily available.
--
* Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? *
Dave Plowman dave....@argonet.co.uk London SW 12
RIP Acorn
Dave Plowman
Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> Is rthere anyone else here who feels that this whole fashion business of
> stripping/sanding crap victorian pine is just an excuse for the sheds to
> sell idle people a lot of time consuming rubbish that produces in the
> end an inferior product to that which a good chippy could do by
> replacing with e.g. MDF mouldings?
Crap Victorian pine? And you call yourself a philosopher? Philistine more
like. ;-)
A *decent* pine, finished with wax or a good eggshell varnish is one of
life's little pleasures, fashion or not. The sort of rubbish you'll buy
these days from most 'timber' yards is only fit for painting.
--
* "I am " is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. *
Andy Hall
"Natural Philosopher" <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote in message
news:3BE61CAF...@nospam.everywhere.net...
>
>
>
> Is rthere anyone else here who feels that this whole fashion business of
> stripping/sanding crap victorian pine is just an excuse for the sheds to
> sell idle people a lot of time consuming rubbish that produces in the
> end an inferior product to that which a good chippy could do by
> replacing with e.g. MDF mouldings?
>
MDF?? Yuk!!! The next suggestion will be PVC......
The whole point of sanding/stripping is to achieve a natural material which
would hopefully be waxed
or oiled for even better effect. It is intended to look distressed and be
part of the character of the house.
Alternatively, hardwoods can be used, and finished similarly produce a very
appealing result. Skirting boards from a good supplier can be entirely in
keeping with a period property.
.andy
Peter Fielding
> stripping/sanding crap victorian pine is just an excuse for the sheds to
> sell idle people a lot of time consuming rubbish that produces in the
> end an inferior product to that which a good chippy could do by
> replacing with e.g. MDF mouldings?
Sorry, but I fail to see how even the best of chippy's could produce
anything
that looks the same as 100 year old wood, with it's grain and deepness
of colour; from MDF!!!! Some people do care about restoring the inside
and outside of their homes with the same care as they were originally
built.
Your'e reference to "crap victorian pine" probably reflects that you
don't.
My opinion's not SSMB's, They're a bank, what would they know about
this?
Natural Philosopher
Dave Plowman wrote:
>
> In article <3BE61CAF...@nospam.everywhere.net>,
> Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> > Is rthere anyone else here who feels that this whole fashion business of
> > stripping/sanding crap victorian pine is just an excuse for the sheds to
> > sell idle people a lot of time consuming rubbish that produces in the
> > end an inferior product to that which a good chippy could do by
> > replacing with e.g. MDF mouldings?
>
> Crap Victorian pine? And you call yourself a philosopher? Philistine more
> like. ;-)
>
> A *decent* pine, finished with wax or a good eggshell varnish is one of
> life's little pleasures, fashion or not. The sort of rubbish you'll buy
> these days from most 'timber' yards is only fit for painting.
>
I'll stick to oak, mahogany, cherry, walnut, maple and any other wood
that has a decent grain, and doesn't suffer from fallout knots and
sticky resin every inch and a quarter....the reason they used pine was
that they didn't HAVE MDF!!!. And they *always* painted it because the
grain is so ghastly.
In Victorian times, if they had sheds, they would have been selling
painted pine furnture..
> --
> * "I am " is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. *
>
> Dave Plowman dave....@argonet.co.uk London SW 12
> RIP Acorn
--
Natural Philosopher
Andy Hall wrote:
>
> "Natural Philosopher" <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote in message
> news:3BE61CAF...@nospam.everywhere.net...
> >
> >
>
> >
> > Is rthere anyone else here who feels that this whole fashion business of
> > stripping/sanding crap victorian pine is just an excuse for the sheds to
> > sell idle people a lot of time consuming rubbish that produces in the
> > end an inferior product to that which a good chippy could do by
> > replacing with e.g. MDF mouldings?
> >
>
> MDF?? Yuk!!! The next suggestion will be PVC......
>
> The whole point of sanding/stripping is to achieve a natural material which
> would hopefully be waxed
> or oiled for even better effect. It is intended to look distressed and be
> part of the character of the house.
Yeah, but the victorians *never* exposed pine. They were rightfully too
ashamed. They painted it. They exposed nice woods - yeah stable woods -
like mahogany.
When did you *ever* see a french polished pine table eh?
>
> Alternatively, hardwoods can be used, and finished similarly produce a very
> appealing result. Skirting boards from a good supplier can be entirely in
> keeping with a period property.
>
Agreed. Get some ok in there m8. You can probably buy a complete set of
oak skirting for less than the cost of a paint stripper.
> .andy
Natural Philosopher
Peter Fielding wrote:
>
> > Is rthere anyone else here who feels that this whole fashion business of
> > stripping/sanding crap victorian pine is just an excuse for the sheds to
> > sell idle people a lot of time consuming rubbish that produces in the
> > end an inferior product to that which a good chippy could do by
> > replacing with e.g. MDF mouldings?
>
> Sorry, but I fail to see how even the best of chippy's could produce
> anything
> that looks the same as 100 year old wood, with it's grain and deepness
> of colour; from MDF!!!! Some people do care about restoring the inside
> and outside of their homes with the same care as they were originally
> built.
Er no. It sounds like you are trying to restore to a great deal higher
standard than that. Victorians used pine the way we use MDF and
chipboard. Ceapest load of old ru=bbish they could get away with, and
looke just about acceptable provided it was *painted*. And knotted and
stopped and filled and so on.
> Your'e reference to "crap victorian pine" probably reflects that you
> don't.
>
No, I knocked the whole damp rotten thing down, and built a new oak
framed, oak and slate floored, thatched 21st century country
house....which will have equal quantities of concrete, steel,
polyisocyanurate, rock wool, butylene and a whole gamut of modern
materials where it does good and doesn't show, veneered MDF where it
does, and solid wood, traditional brick and lime mortar where it can't
be avoided.
Why re-create the Wimpey hutch homes of the 19th century when you don't
have to?
Single brick, ill fitting sashes, cheap pine, no soundproofing, No DPC,
bugger all plumbing and no electrics? You can keep it. Along with coal
fired stoves and two-holer loos. Ugh. Cold, damp and ugly. By all means
go for a natural look, but don't slavishly re-create the ghastliness of
a very unpleasant era. Lord!. In 100 years time they will be stripping
and staining chipboard......and selling it at twenty times what it costs
to buy whatever the latest and doubtless infinitely superior technology
will be. Probably injecion moulded woodgrained poloymer or something....
> My opinion's not SSMB's, They're a bank, what would they know about
> this?
--
Natural Philosopher
Dave Plowman wrote:
>
> In article <3BE61C1E...@nospam.everywhere.net>,
> Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> > Why not replace the lot. By the time you have stripped the old, its
> > probly cheaper.
>
> Because modern wood doesn't look anything like as good when varnished.
> Also, not all Victorian mouldings are readily available.
You have a router? I don't think trees have changged much in the last
1000 years, so I am not sure what 'modern wood' actually is. You can
butyy amlost any wood you want if you try hard enough, apart from the
rarer and protected tropical hardwoods. How about yellow pine? Thersw a
nice 'piney' wood. If you want it to look old, just whack it with a bike
chain wrapped in an oily rag a few times, and pour a bit of ink on it
here and there. Ends up looking terribly victorian once brushed over
with a bit of tired boot polish.
>
> --
> * Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? *
>
> Dave Plowman dave....@argonet.co.uk London SW 12
> RIP Acorn
--
Mark Smith
probably too ambitious in the short term. But thanks for everyone's input,
the comments were spot on regarding the look and texture of well prepared
wood.... And I think its just too easy to paint over the same old surfaces
year after year!!!! The paint on some of these boards are so thick that the
mouldings are bulging with excess paint... Sad!!!!
I was speaking to someone today who mentioned something called Wet and Dry
which apprently "is amazing"... Anyone else hear of it?
I know it's going to take time to strip this stuff, but I'll try one of the
rooms first and see what people say. Once done, I can decide whether to get
someone else in to do it, or just carry on myself....
"Mark Smith" <smit...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9rslp4$52v$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
Andy Hall
>
> >
> > Alternatively, hardwoods can be used, and finished similarly produce a
very
> > appealing result. Skirting boards from a good supplier can be entirely
in
> > keeping with a period property.
> >
> Agreed. Get some ok in there m8. You can probably buy a complete set of
> oak skirting for less than the cost of a paint stripper.
>
I don't about that - cost of dipping vs. hardwood - but oak skirting in
torus or similar profiles is around £6/metre.
.andy
Dave Plowman
Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> When did you *ever* see a french polished pine table eh?
Why would you french polish something designed for work?
--
* If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate *
Dave Plowman
Mark Smith <smit...@btinternet.com> wrote:
> I was speaking to someone today who mentioned something called Wet and
> Dry which apprently "is amazing"... Anyone else hear of it?
It's simply a type of 'sandpaper' that can be used wet so it doesn't clog
so easily. Commonly used on car paintwork. But it won't make removing
loads of paint any easier. I'd use a hot air gun followed by paint
stripper. I did all mine like this years ago.
--
* How come you never hear about gruntled employees? *
Dave Plowman
Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> You have a router? I don't think trees have changged much in the last
> 1000 years, so I am not sure what 'modern wood' actually is.
That's my whole point. ;-)
> You can butyy amlost any wood you want if you try hard enough, apart
> from the rarer and protected tropical hardwoods.
Of course you can buy anything. But we're talking megabucks for something
like piranha that will look like Victorian stuff.
--
* Speak softly and carry a cellular phone *
Natural Philosopher
Dave Plowman wrote:
>
> In article <3BE6F182...@nospam.everywhere.net>,
> Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> > When did you *ever* see a french polished pine table eh?
>
> Why would you french polish something designed for work?
>
Dunno. Beats me. I suppose they never ate off those tables - just left
em lying around gleaming.
> --
> * If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate *
>
> Dave Plowman dave....@argonet.co.uk London SW 12
> RIP Acorn
--
Natural Philosopher
Dave Plowman wrote:
>
> In article <3BE6F458...@nospam.everywhere.net>,
> Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> > You have a router? I don't think trees have changged much in the last
> > 1000 years, so I am not sure what 'modern wood' actually is.
>
> That's my whole point. ;-)
Ah, so you infer that the Victorians didn't use norwegian spruce, or
whatever.
>
> > You can butyy amlost any wood you want if you try hard enough, apart
> > from the rarer and protected tropical hardwoods.
>
> Of course you can buy anything. But we're talking megabucks for something
> like piranha that will look like Victorian stuff.
ER, do you mean parana? I am not sure what the original poster would do
with something made of canibbalistic fish...
Parana isn't that expensive. I think Oak is £16 a cubic foot - good
pine like wot you are on about is less than £4 - I think yellow pine is
probably the thing you mean. AFAICR Parana is rather grainless.
Victorian woodwork that was intended to be painted did not use 'good
pine' tho. It used any old rubbish. They did use slightly better stuff
IMHO for cabinet making - but skirting boards? never. Not painted ones.
My point is, even if say you have a 5 x 3 meter room, and even if you
pay - say 50p a meter for really nice mouldings in decent wood, or real
veneered MDF, it is going to be a lot less work..
I mean, buy a grinding wheel and a small spindle moulder, make your own
mouldings and run some reclaimed elm floorboards through it - and its
going to be *much* easier than stripping a load of painted crap. And
better.
I got a load of 4x1 planed oak from a company that makes oak doors for
about £100 - certainly enough to do a medium room. For heavens sake, I
got enough oak to build the basic frame, three enormous spine beams and
all the ceiling joists to cover 200 m2 cottage for just over £5k.
Admittedly in rough planed green oak...not seasoned..
Stuart Noble
Natural Philosopher wrote in message
>Parana isn't that expensive. I think Oak is £16 a cubic foot - good
>pine like wot you are on about is less than £4
Ten years ago I was paying £16 cu ft for pine, and that was 10 cubic
*metres* at a time.
> I think yellow pine is
"Yellow pine" can mean pretty much anything. Quebec Yellow is soft,
featureless, and much used in carving. "Southern Yellow" is an American
softwood, suitable for rough work but not often joinery.
>AFAICR Parana is rather grainless
And does not resemble European pine in any way whatsoever. It is valued
because it comes in widths up to 12".
>Victorian woodwork that was intended to be painted did not use 'good
>pine' tho. It used any old rubbish. They did use slightly better stuff
>IMHO for cabinet making - but skirting boards? never. Not painted ones.
Northern Europe. The best of it (from Finland and Northern Sweden) commands
hardwood prices, and the worst (Britain) is used to make pallets. There is
little point in talking about "pine" or "good pine".
>My point is, even if say you have a 5 x 3 meter room, and even if you
>pay - say 50p a meter for really nice mouldings in decent wood,
>I mean, buy a grinding wheel and a small spindle moulder, make your own
>mouldings and run some reclaimed elm floorboards through it - and its
>going to be *much* easier than stripping a load of painted crap. And
>better.
>I got a load of 4x1 planed oak from a company that makes oak doors for
>about £100 - certainly enough to do a medium room.
Dave Plowman
Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> > > When did you *ever* see a french polished pine table eh?
> >
> > Why would you french polish something designed for work?
> >
> Dunno. Beats me. I suppose they never ate off those tables - just left
> em lying around gleaming.
That's about it, unless you've seen a french polished kitchen table.
--
* Shin: a device for finding furniture in the dark *
Dave Plowman
Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> > In article <3BE6F458...@nospam.everywhere.net>,
> > Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
> > > You have a router? I don't think trees have changged much in the last
> > > 1000 years, so I am not sure what 'modern wood' actually is.
> >
> > That's my whole point. ;-)
> Ah, so you infer that the Victorians didn't use norwegian spruce, or
> whatever.
Correct. According to my architect pal, who is very keen on local
history, the majority came from Russia. It's a much slower growing closer
grain material which was ideal for construction work and general purpose
carpentry.
> >
> > > You can butyy amlost any wood you want if you try hard enough, apart
> > > from the rarer and protected tropical hardwoods.
> >
> > Of course you can buy anything. But we're talking megabucks for
> > something like piranha that will look like Victorian stuff.
> ER, do you mean parana? I am not sure what the original poster would do
> with something made of canibbalistic fish...
heh heh - it's the only thing the spool cheeker came up with..
> Parana isn't that expensive. I think Oak is £16 a cubic foot - good
> pine like wot you are on about is less than £4 - I think yellow pine is
> probably the thing you mean. AFAICR Parana is rather grainless.
Living where I do I'm restricted to the likes of Travis Perkins for timber.
I wanted a chunky bit to make an internal sill for the new kitchen window,
and what I was told was parana (spell checker still won't have it) when
varnished was a good match to the original stuff, with 'red' streaks in
it. And it cost an arm and a leg, compared to their 'normal' stuff.
> Victorian woodwork that was intended to be painted did not use 'good
> pine' tho. It used any old rubbish. They did use slightly better stuff
> IMHO for cabinet making - but skirting boards? never. Not painted ones.
Hmm, despite central heating, none of my original stuff has moved. New
timber, however...
Also, look at the large thin plain wood panels they used for doors etc.
You can't even buy that sort of thing these days, because I doubt it would
stay flat for one minute, even if it came out of the machine in one piece.
And most of the windows are original, with no rot. I put in a much larger
kitchen window from Magnet when re-doing that area, and it was rotten
within 15 years, despite being kept properly painted.
> My point is, even if say you have a 5 x 3 meter room, and even if you
> pay - say 50p a meter for really nice mouldings in decent wood, or real
> veneered MDF, it is going to be a lot less work..
My two adjoining 'public' rooms amount to some 10 x 5 meters, with an 18
inch high skirting made from three separate parts. The front bedroom uses
the same stuff. To reproduce this using a router would be far in excess of
my skills. I made a cutter for a friends spindle moulder and used
reclaimed timber to match the original where it was needed.
> I mean, buy a grinding wheel and a small spindle moulder, make your own
> mouldings and run some reclaimed elm floorboards through it - and its
> going to be *much* easier than stripping a load of painted crap. And
> better.
Err, yes ;-) But fitting skirting boards properly is also skilled work -
much more so than stripping existing ones.
> I got a load of 4x1 planed oak from a company that makes oak doors for
> about £100 - certainly enough to do a medium room. For heavens sake, I
> got enough oak to build the basic frame, three enormous spine beams and
> all the ceiling joists to cover 200 m2 cottage for just over £5k.
> Admittedly in rough planed green oak...not seasoned..
These sort of options are not easily available to us townees.
And what's more, if I like the look of decent natural pine rather than any
other timber, that's my prerogative.
--
* I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out *
Nick Finnigan
news:4ad5216267...@argonet.co.uk...
> In article <3BE787E7...@nospam.everywhere.net>,
> Natural Philosopher <infi...@nospam.everywhere.net> wrote:
>
> > Parana isn't that expensive. I think Oak is £16 a cubic foot - good
> > pine like wot you are on about is less than £4 - I think yellow pine is
> > probably the thing you mean. AFAICR Parana is rather grainless.
>
> Living where I do I'm restricted to the likes of Travis Perkins for timber.
> I wanted a chunky bit to make an internal sill for the new kitchen window,
> and what I was told was parana (spell checker still won't have it) when
> varnished was a good match to the original stuff, with 'red' streaks in
> it. And it cost an arm and a leg, compared to their 'normal' stuff.
My local timber merchant listed 1x9 parana pine skirting
at 128.5p/ft, and 1x7 U/S redwod skirting at 71.5p/ft.
(Wickes MDF skirting 60p/ft)
1x12 PAR hardwood: 265p/ft,
1x12 PAR parana: 171p/ft,
1x11 PAR whitewood: 83p/ft
1x9 PAR hardwood: 199p/ft,
1x9 PAR redwood: 81p/ft
1x9 PAR whitewood: 60p/ft
So that looks like £10 a cubic foot to £30 a cubic foot
(and if I was paying someone to fit and paint or varnish
window cill or skirting, that price difference is immaterial)