Martha To The Rescue
Not sure how we’ve gone more than two years on a blog about the home without mentioning Martha Stewart. But now Mrs. Limestone, in yesterday’s post, finally has. The reason? She used a Martha technique of boiling off old paint to strip her old doorknobs and plates. Awesome! Something tells us we’re not going to…
Not sure how we’ve gone more than two years on a blog about the home without mentioning Martha Stewart. But now Mrs. Limestone, in yesterday’s post, finally has. The reason? She used a Martha technique of boiling off old paint to strip her old doorknobs and plates. Awesome! Something tells us we’re not going to be the only ones following suit this weekend. Check out the WT Reno on the link for play-by-play photos.
Boiling doorknobs ala Martha [Windsor Terrace Reno]
Sounds like a great method. Lead fumes aren’t given off until 300 – 500 deg C (depending on the compound). Water boils at 100 deg C. Seems pretty safe to me.
If you transfer the water to another container, you could let it evaporate and then dispose of the container.
I just don’t like the idea of boiling lead-based paint in my kitchen, and the water is not good for metal.
Plus, what do you do with the water and paint mixture once you are done? I hope you don’t flush it or put it down the drain…
Pros use lacquer thinner, they don’t boil metal hardware in water. The thinner removes all flecks and traces of paint too, even in hard to get at areas…
Whatever works for you is great…
-Jimmy
Jimmy maybe its me, but boiling the stuff seemed a lot easier then what you describe..overnight, recycling, brushes, paying for the thinner, rubber gloves. So, maybe what you describe is a close second to Martha…i’ll let you fight it out with her directly.
Folks,
I’m an old pro at this thing, and I have to say that boiling the paint off these parts might work, but there is a better and safer way. {Martha Stewart does not know everything.} This is a trick that was taught to me by a pro plaster/paint contractor.
Remove the hardware from the door…
BUY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND USE THEM!
Buy a quart of lacquer thinner, (NOT paint thinner, NOT mineral spirits, NOT tsp,etc.) Buy an oil change plastic pan.
ONLY USE LACQUER THINNER (It’s a petroleum distillate made with secretions from the Lac bug! Seriously!)
Buy it at HD, Lowe’s, etc. Buy a plastic oil change bucket, place hardware parts inside, and pour in enough lacquer thinner to cover the parts. Use a soft scrubber with PLASTIC BRISTLES, NOT METAL. Scrub after a few minutes to help dissolve the paint.
If you leave the hardware in too long it could damage the finish, but I’ve never had problems; in extremely insane cases of multiple layers of paint youi might need to let the parts soak overnight…usually 1 hour or less gets the job done. Do NOT rinse with water when done (unless you like rust streaks on your hardware.) Pat dry with a clean cloth and let dry thoroughly. Use ventilation. Don’t smoke while you are doing this. Don’t deliberately inhale the lacquer thinner while you work.
When you are done, dispose of the disgusting mess properly. Don’t flush down toilet or pour down sink drain. Put in kitty litter box and take to recycling center. It’s a toxic gooey mess when you are done.
Be careful – The results are astonishing and the metal comes out looking like the day it was installed.
-Jimmy
Y’all forgot to mention that a great reno blog this is shaping up to be. Nice work, Mrs Limestone!
11:21 here. My purpose was to downgrade the alarm factor of 11:14. I’ve used both boiling and TSP, and both work, and neither was particularly toxic. Thanks for the science lesson, 11:54, it’s been a very long time since high school. 🙂
We use TSP substitute in warm water and soak overnight. No boiling necessary.
how smart is someone who can’t spell “thing” correctly? And since the hardware is in water, it controls the dust.
FYI- Distilled water is purified by boiling- the steam rises, and not the foreign molecules which are heavier, so maybe 11:21 and 11:14 need to take a basic science class.
Im sure its much better to leave the peeling paint on the knobs and let your kids eat it off slowly over time 🙂