the five cast iron fireplaces we've got in the house we're renovating...any advice? So far, I've used Nitromore, elbow grease about £5 worth of wire wool. Oh, and a Sunday afternoon!
How do I finish it, once stripped back? Is there a product which will speed up the whole process?

Two of the five are really nice - art-deco style, and the one I've started to do is looking crisper and better already - but I'm worried about whether I'm doing it correctly, and, as we plan to sell the house once completed, whether it's even a waste of time. Perhaps I should just reach for the tin of gloss, instead...

Any ideas gratefully received!

no!! dont use gloss paint! What a waste of all your hard work! I cant really think of anything,i watched a grand designs once and this guy stripped all the paint of his coving, using a product similar to nitormores, but he sort of made a poultice and left it on then it al just came off in one big clump, im sorry i dont know what it was but im sure that would really help!

I was thinking of gloss for the remaining four... I don't know if my head can cope with the fumes of more nitromores..

I saw that poultice thing on GD too, but all I could see on the shelves at B&Q was something called a 'gel' which was puny in quantity, huge in price!

This is not the first time I've posted this link - haven't use dthem myself, but am v impressed with the info on this site:

http://www.stripperspaintremovers.com/about.htm

They seem to know what they are talking about.

And once you have finished, you can either oil the iron (eg WD40) or use blacking (you get it from fireplace shops). You wipe it on and buff it off. It is messy work but you do get a lovely finish - like the one here: http://www.bricksandbrass.co.uk/deselem/fireplace/fpedwardian.htm (poppy design, 4th pic down).

Or use a black paint, if you must!

I think I've said on here before that we basically just unscrewed ours from the wall and pulled it off. Yes, it wasn very heavy and took a bit of the plaster but that was easily fixed. £35 and 48 hours later it came back from the stripper man all lovely and clean.

Then I used zebbo and blackened it up.

I think you can have them sandblasted like radiators. The poultice method is caustic and the one I used was called Peel Away by Langlow Products.

Thanks for all these - plenty of ideas and advice - its really appreciated!

*visits thread under false pretenses*

*skulks away*

well, you gotta get attention somehow...

I've just looked at that 'poppy' fireplace on the bricksandbrass website - all inspired again now - it looks lovely! Thanks, Simon.

Ive used Strippers of Sudbury products and they are really good - the website is really helpful in ensuring that the product you purchase is appropriate

After a lot of elbow grease over several evenings I eventually got mine stripped with Peel Away - very messy but loads easier. I had a tube of blacking (HotSpot Grate Polish - ~£3.70 and plenty left over) and a tin of black stove paint just in case the blacking was too messy.

The blacking was brilliant. Boyf applied it with a soft plastic brush thing (like a big toothbrush) and it went on really easily, buffed it up, very pleased indeed. No time at all and very pleased I didn't resort to stove paint as would have gotten brush marks all over it. All in all, an easy (if messy) job in the end once you get the right products.