I said I would finish repairing/painting the three living room windows during my vacation, and…I did! Late last night I finished stripping the last of the many coats of paint off of the locks. In a few minutes, I’ll screw them onto the sashes and cross an item off of my list that has been hanging over my head for far too long. How satisfying!
It’s a rainy, dreary day, one that definitely calls for stripey socks, bagels, and plenty of coffee. All three of those requirements are currently being tended to, rest assured. (Goodbye, vacation!)
28 Comments
Anna,
I am not sure how you are removing the paint, but I read a tip in an old “This Old House” magazine. They recommended using an old crockpot filled with water and a touch of laundry detergent set on low. I tried it awhile back on some cabinet hardware and it worked quite nicely.
Meghan
I love your socks!! The weather in France is not any better, no rain at least!! Enjoy the rest of your day!! 🙂
great lox and sox…
For some reason I thought this post was going to be about Bowersox. 🙂 Glad you got so much done on your vacation!
The locks look amazing, as well as your socks! I can’t wait to see the finished windows!
@Meghan: Yes, that’s exactly how I do it — I’ve removed a lot of paint from a lot of hardware over the past four years, and I have a crockpot specifically designated just for that purpose. 🙂
@Pennyrounds: Yay for Bowersox!! 🙂
The hardware looks fantastic! I need to do the same…. I will try the tip in Meghan’s comment! How did you remove the layers of paint?
great socks:) perfect for a rainy day. It’s raining here in chicago to, got up early to get a bit of gardening done before the rain hit. Now on to an inside list item.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
callie
Have you seen happy socks? awesome.
Sorry to hear your vacation is coming to a close, but looks like it has been good to the last drop.
ps: dang, those are some cute socks!
Those locks are beautiful. The socks are good too. They’re, like, very on D16 brand. 🙂
The locks look great. Do you paint them black once you remove the old layers of paint?
Those socks are fantastic. I used to be obsessed with socks and now I kind of miss my crazy collection.
Love your stripey socks!!! 🙂
Great job, and really green way of doing it. The locks are such beautiful objects and will look lovely in black on your white window frames. My DIY job for this month is to strip layers of old paint in situ from the fan light window over our Georgian door. I’m told the only option is horrible Nitromors. What do you do if you can’t detach the hardware?
@callie grayson: I use the technique Meghan mentioned. Here’s the original article on the TOH website.
@PhillyLass: Yes, since the locks have a lot of rust and corrosion going on under that paint, I like to hit them with a quick coat of Rust-Oleum once they’re stripped. I do the same thing with door hinges.
@Fiona: I’ve never heard of Nitromors, and since Googling the name gives me UK-based results, I’m assuming you’re not in the US. That said, I would look for something similar to a product called Peel Away. It has zero odor and is very effective, though a bit messy.
Very satisfying. How beautiful the locks look. I too am on vacation this moment for the purpose of fixing the house. Day four of plastering and priming, got most of one floor done. It’s totally exhausting.
WHOA!
I started renovating/repainting my bathroom this weekend, and stripped back the windowsills and have the same lock dilemma. So many coats of gross disgusting paint when all you want is some nice gloss black.
Can I ask – what’s your advice on the best way to strip back the paint on the locks like these??
x
Thanks Anna.
@ryan james: Take a look at my earlier comments — there’s a link to a good article that should help!
Love the socks!! I have a thing for stripes. I still have a pair of black and white over the knee socks from high school. I just can’t bear to gt rid of them… Fortunately, for those around me, they never see the light of day… lol
I love your blog! By chance I came upon it when I googled “how to paint hardwood floors ” . I’m painting mine white and I already have my super white (not simply-super reflects light better and our house doesn’t get lots of natural light) some walls are charcoal gray. The only way to modernize the New England style 😉
Thanks, Anna!
What’s the Crock Pot got that makes it so successful? I’m not based in the US so getting my hands on one could be a tad tricky… Would simmering in a regular pot work do you think?
Yea. I am glad that you used the TOH method ’cause it is so damn easy! Also- my happy socks are always merino wool (smartwool, icebreaker) YUM.
Haha, I thought the first pic depicted licorice…
Wishful thinking, I guess.
HA! I loved those same socks so I made them in to a sock monkey—check out Evelyn!
http://monkeywonderland.com/monkey%20pages/evelyn.page.htm
Thanks so much for all the info on the crockpot paint removal process. I had been trying to achieve the same results with paint remover and it’s been an unsuccessful mess. Definitely worth investing in a second hand crockpot to do this!
I love your socks. And locks. And bagels and coffee. It all sounds like a beautifully mellow (yet filled with a sense of accomplishment – the locks) dreary day.
Pure bliss.
Glad for you.
warmly,
-maria
ok, so your hardware-stripping tip worked AMAZINGLY well, i’m totally indebited to you.
do you have any advice on how to revive a window that has been painted shut by former tenants, when totally stripping all the paint off the windowsill isn’t an option? i’m renting, after all… but i have one window that’s just been painted shut for some reason. horrible, such a waste.