Steps:1. Protect the floor around the work area with drop cloths and craft paper (figure A).
2. Put on rubber gloves and apply a chemical paint stripper to part of the mantel using a paintbrush. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, then use the painter's tool to scrape away the paint (figure B).
3. If you're dealing with multiple-layers of paint, use a carbide-tipped scraper to clear a small area down to the bare wood to see what you've got to work with (figure C).
4. If your mantel's made of a decorative wood such as mahogany or cherry, then you may want to invest the time and effort to strip the whole mantel down to the bare wood. But if it's plain wood, you may just want to smooth out the mantel by sanding and filling and apply a new topcoat.
5. Before continuing, clean off any stripper residue using rubbing alcohol. Next, scrape away any loose paint and then sand the area smooth using 80-grit sandpaper. For an easier, quicker method try using an orbital sander on the flat areas (figure D). You'll still need sandpaper for contoured areas.
6. Don't worry about getting all the paint off. Just feather in the painted areas with the bare spots so you mantel surface is nice and smooth.
7. Apply primer with nice, even strokes (figure E). Start on the top of the mantel and work down the sides.
8. After the primer has dried, fill in any nail holes with putty. Finish off by running a bead of non-toxic acrylic caulk along gaps in the mantel boards (figure F).
9. Come back later and apply a topcoat of a durable, oil-based paint.
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