Removing old paint from skirting boards and walls can be a tough and hazardous job, but with some effort and a few of the necessary precautions, it can be done. Old houses can be extremely lovely, and it can really be worth your time to restore them instead of tearing them down to give way to the development of a new house. Most old homes have a certain character to them that gives them a stately look. In order to restore an old house, you would need to undertake a lot of chores, which includes stripping old paint from skirting boards. With the right tools and some effort, you can get the old paint removed from old skirting boards. The problem with old homes is that most of them are painted with lead-based paint. The builders in the old days do not have an idea of how harmful lead-based paint is, but that very reason is now why you must take the time to remove old paint off the walls and skirting boards in an old house. A solvent would do the job nicely, but you cannot use just any solvent to get the old paint off. It must be a chemical solvent, because heat-based or mechanical solvents will produce harmful fumes that can poison your lungs when you work on this task. Given the potential harmfulness of the task, only a chemical solvent would do to remove old paint from walls and skirting boards. Not only would a chemical solvent be a lot safer to use than other forms of solvents, but they also make the job a lot easier. Chemical solvents cause the old paint to lift from the walls and the boards and form blisters. These blisters can then be scraped off with a flat-edged scraper. If the baseboards are moulded or have elaborate carvings, as most old houses have, then you can remove the blistered paint with the aid of a steel wool or an old toothbrush. When you apply the chemical solvent to the walls and skirting boards, be sure to apply a generous coating on the areas you are working on. You may have to repeat the process a number of times to get all of the old paint off. Just make sure that you let the solvent dry off and evaporate overnight, and that all the old paint flakes and solvent sludge you have collected are disposed of properly. Another thing that you should remember when working with chemical solvents in removing old paint is that you should work at a time when you can keep all the windows and doors in the room open. This will help the solvent dry off much faster, and it will prevent you from inhaling too much of the resulting fumes. Make sure that you take frequent breaks from this task by taking a walk outside in open air. Also, wear protective clothes that cover your whole body, and wear a face mask and goggles as well. Working on the restoration of old homes, especially with removing old paint from walls and skirting boards, can be a tough task. But once this is done, your walls and skirting boards would be freed up for a fresh coating of paint, and they would look as new as they have ever been.
