We had the same problem in our last house--we just wet-stripped the WHOLE THING. (Quietly cursing the idiot who painted with latex over shiny enamel w/out prming in between.) It was NOT a pleasant experience. That took care of the problem--but we also primed very carefully once we were finished. You shouldn't need to do an enormous amount of sanding if you strip it properly-- just light sanding afterwards. The question is-- do you want to spend your free hours doing prep work? If you can afford to pay someone--DO IT. We were so house poor (it was our first home) we had to do the work ourselves. Stripping is NO FUN. Good luck! Melanie

Help me avoid this mistake - how can you tell the paint is enamel versus latex?

Thanks!

An easy way to tell if you have latex or enamel paint is to take a cotton ball dipped in alcohol and lightly rub it on the painted surface. If the cotton ball has paint on it, it is latex, if not, it is enamel.

Thanks Mary Ann. I guess if it is white paint I'll need to use a black colored cotton ball! OK, maybe a dark colored cotton rag.