100 year old home - there is a layer of something on the woodwork that won't scrape and paint won't stick to

Question

This layer is yellow and it just will not come off no matter what I've tried to do and the trim paint that we put on just 2 years ago is just peeling off in stips, so nothing is sticking to what ever this is either. Any ideas about how to either get this stuff off of the wood OR how to get the trim paint to stay so that I don't waste another gallon of paint and more time than I care to even imagine? I'm at wits ends - I just want to make it look nice and not have to be redone again in less than 24 months

Thank you for any insight and help!

Answer 1

One hundred years?!

Shellac, I'll bet -and well absorbed into the wood. Get a heat gun, find one of those "inconspicuous places," and blast that stuff. Have a scraper handy and see if you can peel anything back after it gets HOT.

Then tell me what happened.

Over and out!

Answer 2

I'm not sure what type of things you have tried to remove the old coating. If that coating is opaque or translucent, in most instances the best cure would be to scuff sand the old coating you are referring to, then apply a bonding primer. Go to a paint store that has a knowledgeable staff, explain your situation and ask them for a product they would recommend to use for a bonding primer.

Answer 3

Almost sounds like tree sap that has dried and hard as a rock. Could be from green lumber used in construction.

Check with a paint shop, take a piece of the stuff if you can chip off some.

Answer 4

Scuff sand with 120 grit and then brush on with Kilz primer. Kilz primer will stick to anything and then top coat with your paint.

Answer 5

Try sanding, and then primer. Usually primer will make paint stick and stay. Hope this helps. Good luck to you.