Rome wasn't built in a day, and your project isn't going to be finished this year, next year, maybe not even in 2013. That's what I keep reminding myself. I am refurbishing my windows and while doing so, I am refinishing the window frames.

There is a lot of good information on the internet on tools and techniques. At my age (60) I find that I can't do it every day, I have to give my fingers and wrist a rest, but I keep plugging along.

We have to get this baby ready and sold within one year and I understand about not being able to work on it every day, but time is a real factor here.

If we were going to make this our home,we would probably sand down to the wood, etc. but in this case, we have to be expedient.

First of all, latex over oil is fine, so long as it's clean and dull, and fully adhered to the substrate.

Your problem is probably related to a topcoat over glossy or dirty paint, or cheap paint over oil. If you sand it and repaint it, it will most likely be pulled off by the tension caused by the new paint drying. Probably within 30 days.

You really need to get down to the coat of paint (the oil paint) that is fully adhered to the wood. Anything less is a waste of time and resources.

When I had this problem, I used a heat gun. The problem I had there besides getting burned several times :) was that I ended up damaging the underlying wood with the scraper, so I had to fill it before I repainted. It was really nice to get down to the bare wood, though. Looked VERY sharp after it was all done.

Don't go this route if you aren't sure if the old paint has lead in it. In general, you do not want to be doing any kind of removal activity like sanding or stripping if the oil-based stuff underneath has lead in it.

Built in 1926, very likely to have lead - so what do I do about that?

It WILL have lead, no question about it

Here is a link that might be useful: lead

Sanding of leaded paint is fine IF you wet sand it and flush away the water solution down the toilet.

Really? Do communities treat sewage for lead? I would think that intentionally disposing of lead in this manner would not be a good idea.

Lucille,

Wet sanding is actually safer than a sander with a filter because wet sanding when done properly creates NO dust.

Read the EPA guideline from hard copy or when the broken link is fixed online.

"The key to reducing lead hazards while stabilizing flaking paint is to keep the surfaces slightly damp to avoid ingesting lead dust. Wet sanding uses special flexible sanding blocks or papers that can be rinsed in water or used along with a bottle mister. This method will generally not create enough debris to constitute hazardous waste."

Remember, you're wet sanding to dull or feather the edges, not remove the paint film. Very little pressure is used when wet sanding. You can probably wet sand an entire house of trim using less than 2 gallons of water.

It is not the sanding, it is flushing whatever lead waste you make into the community sewage system that I think is not a good idea.

What would you do with it?

What kind of question is that? Just because I think a certain action is not appropriate, I should research? YOU recommended flushing, remember? Or do you still think putting lead into a community's sewage system is the way to go?

This is the EPA'S recommendation, so don't be jumping all over the guy that is trying to help. You have a problem with that, take it up with the EPA, and good luck with that.

I think Lucille was having the same reaction that I had - disbelief. Brushwork's response seems counter-intuitive given the concern about keeping lead out of our bodies. I imagine it would go in a toxic waste landfill or at least a construction debris landfill, not into the water system.

I'm not saying Michael (Brushworks) is incorrect. I'm just very surprised.

My suggestion was to follow EPA guideline. If anyone is irresponsible, wouldn't it be them?

They also recommend a shower following any work with sanding or scraping. The shower drain goes where the toilet drain goes. Same destination.

I would be more concerned about ingesting lead from indoor plumbing (lead soldered joints). The sewage treatment plant will do their part to keep it out of the water supply.
Thank you. :)