How do I get old paint off of wood work?

Question

The previous owner of my house painted the trim the same color of the walls. Grrr! How do I get it off without scratching the wood work?

Answer 1

Use a product called "Superstrip." Its odorless, and works quickly.
Scrape the blistered paint away with a putty knife the apply a second coat of stripper. Clean this off with 000 steel wool and acetone. There will be no residue left, trust me.
However, stripping will take off the wood's original finish so it will have to be re-stained and polyurethaned to fully restore it.

Answer 2

You can chemically strip paint, but it's slow and tedious, and the paint still doesn't come out of nooks and crevices well. You may end up sanding by hand a lot.

Ask for a paint stripper at a paint or hardware store. Follow directions carefully, and consider having the paint tested to see if it contains lead, too. If it's been there for years, it could be toxic. Try the paint stripper in an inconspicuous spot, and see how it works. When the time comes to sand, if you have a lot of odd shapes and angles, look for the sanding sponges - it's sort of like sandpaper bonded to a sponge, so that it will conform to the shape of the object being sanded. Good luck!