I’ve got a 4,000 sq. foot house full of painted trim (oak & hard pine) that I need to strip/refinish.
Am wondering if anyone has had any experience with running such through a large drum sander (the table type with feed belt)? Seems like it would take far less time than working your way through all the grits with hand sander. Was thinking about a Performax model.
Does the multiple layers of paint load up the sandpaper too quickly? Is it worth the +- $700 cost?
Listeners write in about Spark and wall-panel mounting and ask questions about flashing windows and long-lasting post-frame building.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
Unless the trim is perfectly square, I'd say you'd have a hard time doing what you're proposing- the face you're sanding would need to be parallel with the feed rollers. The other thing to consider is lead dust- if the trim's much more than 20 years old, the paint probably contains lead, and you'll be dumping that into the air with the sanding process. And yes, the paint will probably clog the belts up fairly quickly.
Bob
Thanks for the feedback, Bob.
The face of the trim is flat. Will sand edges by hand. Was planning on collecting dust with HEPA vac.
A drum sander will absolutly clog fast. A wide belt sander is what youre after. More surface area on the belt=less heat. Maybe a woodshop near you might run it for you. You buy the belts...and pay by the ft. or hour. If you have to do it with a drum type..torch as much as you can and scrape away first.
A torch like the roofers use for torch down is great, I just bought on @ Harbor Freight for 15.00 and the propane will run ya 50.00 if ya do not have a tank yet.
lay it up on horses, with a plank under the trim and a tarp on the ground..bubble it up and scrape while soft. don't breathe the fumes and be outdoors with the wind behind you. It really can go pretty fast with 2 people. You may be able to skip the big sander and finish with a belt or random orbit sander.
Sounds like you're taking it all off to refinish it (?). Have you considered using a chemical stripper ?
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I'd strrip it in place rather than removing it all and sanding and replacing it again. Too much of it will be damaged to be worth the trouble. Putting everything back in place where it came from would be nightmarish. I'd repaint it myself and forget about clear finishing it. Or put up new trim. The old trim may look so-so when stripped anyway. Pine is best painted in my opinion anyway, and oak is allright, but has pores that will hold paint unless sanded deep.