How to remove paint from fire surround

[suds]

Hi - we have an old cast iron fire surround (mantlepiece etc) which has been painted white. We would like to strip oof the paint but don't want the hassle of removng it from the wall and sending it to be dipped. Is it hard to do it yourself? How would we do it? We are redecorating the room so a bit of mess is not a problem. Thanks. S

 

[huskerdu]

I did this. It's not at all difficult but it is messy and hard work, but really, really worth it.
I used a product called peel-away. Its caustic material in the form of gunky thick
liquid.

You paint it onto the painted metal and stick on the supplied sheets of paper.
The next day, you peel away the paper and the gunk has dissolved away the
paint which comes away with the paint. You then need to wash away the gunk/paint.

The material is dangerous to the skin and will ruin the carpet/walls so do it before
you decorate. Cover every inch of skin and be prepared to use loads of water and old cloths.

Our fireplace had many layers of paint and intricit metal work so it took a number of
applications,

I have been honest about the work involved, but I hope I haven't put you off, the resulting cast iron fireplace looks fab and was worth the effort.

 

[S.L.F]

I would remove it from the wall get it dipped, when dry spray paint it matt black then replace it on the wall

Far less hassle than stripping it against a wall

 

[suds]

Apologies for not acknowledging before but I forgot I had posted this question! Thanks for your replies. Taking it off the wall would involve re-wallpapering subsequently so I think we might try stripping it in situ, starting next week. If I remember, I will come back and let you know how we get on.