by Sherwood Farm on Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:34 pm
Yes, it is, with some caveats about how you remove it.
With a house that old, you are likely to have lead paint, which is a health hazard, particularly for young children, when it is sanded or scraped. It is the dust and particles of the paint which are unhealthy.
Another common method of removal is heat, but these have the risk of heat damage, fire and, still have some lead risk. This covers heat guns, plates and quartz (Silent Paint Stripper). Heat is efficient, and effective, though.
Another way to remove paint is using various chemicals, from the truly vile petroleum-based ones to the less nasty ones like citrus-based solvents. I have had good luck with a stripper made from Soy.
And finally, there is a way that is gaining some currency because it combines heat, without fire risk, and reduces the lead dust issue and avoids smelly chemicals: using a steamer. I have not tried this in a serious way, though I think it is promising.
Now, having explained how it's done, I feel I should also point out that it can be a very tedious job, depending on how complicated your trim is.
If the paint is not too thick that it distorts the molding profiles, it might be best to simply paint over it. Leaving the existing paint also preserves the historical record of which colors were originallychosen. A recommended way to handle even lead paint is to encapsulate it in place. The paint is not dangerous, just the dust from degradation of the surface.
Hope that helps!