How to Remove Peeling Paint From a Door Frame

eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

Things You'll Need

  • Paint scraper

  • Sandpaper, variety pack with different grades of paper will work best

  • Vacuum cleaner with hose attachment

Peeling paint

Peeling or flaking paint on a door frame is unsightly to look at and may leaves bits and pieces of paint on the floor, which will need to be cleaned up. The door frame can either be an inner frame or an outer frame; both of them will need the same treatment to remove the peeling paint.

Advertisement

Step 1

Determine what type of paint scraper to purchase. Straight blade types allow more control in harder-to-reach and intricate areas, while bent blade scrapers allow more force to be used and, therefore, more paint to be stripped in less time.

Video of the Day

Step 2

Begin scraping at the top of the door frame and work your way down. Scrapers literally rip the paint from the frame and will remove most of it once you get started in a certain area.

Step 3

Scrape the frame until the door frame is as paint free as you can get it. Some spots won't scrape off; leave those until the next step.

Step 4

Sand down the rest of the frame to remove any leftover peeling paint. The larger the grit, 40 or 60 grit max, the more paint it will remove. The trade off is that the larger grit sandpaper will also scratch up the door frame itself, so use a grit that removes the paint but doesn't scratch the frame.

Advertisement

Step 5

Vacuum the area and the door frame to remove all flaked off paint and dust, using your hose attachment to collect the larger flaked off pieces.

Tip

If you have used a larger grit sandpaper to remove stubborn paint but have scratched the surface doing so, merely use a smaller grit paper to sand out and smooth down the scratches.

Warning

Paint dust may be toxic, depending on age and the type of paint that was originally used. Therefore, if unsure about the type or composition of the paint you are scraping off, wear a dust mask to avoid inhaling any paint particles.

Advertisement

Video of the Day

references