Ask the experts

Dewald Kannemeyer of Stellenberg writes We want to replace our front door but we’d like to keep the doorframe. How do we go about stripping the frame of about 40 years’ worth of varnish? Is paint stripper or a heat gun effective or will we have to sand, sand, sand?

Frikkie Greeff, managing director of Woodoc, replies It’s best to just “sand, sand, sand” as you put it. We seldom recommend paint strippers as they’re horrible products to work with. A heat gun is a better option but you have to be extremely careful not to scorch the wood (or your eyebrows).

In our opinion, the best method is to use 60-grit wet/dry sandpaper and mineral turpentine. Wrap the sandpaper around a sanding block then dip the sandpaper in the turps and sand in the same direction as the wood grain. Dip the sandpaper in the turps again when