Stripping paint from doors for redecoration or varnishing can take up to four days to complete. One solution for older doors, doors that are not covered in hardboard, is take the door to be dipped; this usually costs about £15. Dipping is where the door is covered in an acid (much like the chemical method) and the paint is ‘peeled’ off by the intense acids, ready for you to the redecorate. Most new doors are covered in hardboard and require a different approach, for this reason I have compiled the methods I, personally, feel work best.
Chemical stripping: Paint strippers can be bought from DIY stores, such as B&Q, for as little as £10 a litre. Apply paint stripper to the door, dabbing and rubbing it in to create an even coat. Leave the stripper to wear down the surface paint (Should take 20 minutes or so). Once it has worn down slightly begin to scrape away, using a shaped scraped to access crevices and mouldings. Once you have scraped away as much paint as possible the door must be neutralised. Rub warm water or white spirits into the door very well, as this will reduce acidity, wait 24hours before attempting to paint or varnish to produce the best result.
A second method for stripping is the heat gun method; costing about £15 from the same stores as paint stripper. Hold the gun 75mm (3inch) away from the door and move the gun around the door to get an even flow of heat. When the door has reached a decent level of heat the paint will begin to bubble, scrape the paint away in the same manner as the chemical method, using a shaped scraper of mouldings or shapings. This method does not require neutralisation therefore it saves 24hours.
Even though dipping is the easiest method because it requires less effort, it does cost £15 a door. Chemical stripping takes slightly more effort but costs about £7 a door as it takes about 750ml to do a whole door. Therefore even though the heat gun method requires the most effort it is best in terms of price if you have more than 2-3 doors to redecorate.
Happy paint stripping.