I have a bunch of unique old pine door trim that I am thinking about using. It appears to have been originally stained and then painted multiple times. Trying to get all of the old paint out is going to be way more time consuming than the wood is probably worth.
I googled refinishing distressed wood and all I got was how to distress wood.
I thought I would sand the wood and/or strip the crevices (where the paint is really hard to get to) and then put a finish coat on it. As noted above there still will be some paint on it as well as bare wood of various colors (brownish stain, greyed and unfinished pine)
Any suggestions as to type of finish or anything else is much appreciated. Thanks
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If they are over 50 years old I’d test for lead first. That will determine if you can even do anything with them.
Lead is definitely a significant concern, but beyond that I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve. Do you want a distressed look with worn paint exposing bare wood? Or are you hoping to remove all old finishes?
Either way sanding lead paint is a bad idea without proper precautions. Test it first, lead tests are available at any major home center or hardware store.
Go with a liquid rather than sanding. I did the doors in my house with soy gel and the trim with a combination of sof gel and a heat gun. (House built 1939)
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