Four cans later and it all became clear…
Not hard liquor I'm afraid, but Nitromorse the stripper of the Gods.
I have spent the last couple of days reclaiming various fireplaces from the grip of 50 years worth of gloss.
Luckily, not only were the surrounds heavily coated but also painted rather expertly using primers, undercoats and several layers of paint on top, probably sanded in between coats for extra devilment.
Oddly, most have been painted in shades of mustard yellow which is not especially attractive nor very easy to use other colours with. Not that this bothered anyone at number four, who have decorated with abandon using any colours they fancy and not touching the fireplaces which had been painted before they took up residence.
I was always hopeful that the great strip would reveal beauteous objects - not disappointed. The master bedroom yielded a rather fine white marble surround, veined with grey. Perfect condition thanks to the gloss.
The rear bedroom has a stunning black surround, which had been painted bright yellow and black ( odd thing to do..).
I also discovered that the original fireplace in the main reception room is still at the house although not in the original position. Indeed this surround is rather well travelled and has moved outside of the house and is scattered rather liberally over the path. For reasons I could not bring myself to ask, our dear vendors ripped out the fireplace, smashed it into small pieces and then laid it as crazy paving up to the front door. Now that is thinking out of the box.
Anyway the stripping was a doddle thanks to some very sharp stripping blades, tons of Nitromorse soaked wire wool ( fine gauge to avoid scratching) and some light swearing as I went.
My hands are a little worse for wear - resembling elderly elephant pre manicure- but beauty is pain…