A promise - no sanding needed

Layers of paint are often testament to years of renovation and a series of owners imposing their own colour schemes.

In older houses, a new owner might eventually want to uncover the beauty of kauri, rimu or matai hidden beneath.

Before them lie hours of stripping and sanding ...

Not so, says Cooper's D. I. Y. Restoration System - and the company is prepared to make a free home visit to demonstrate how relatively easy the job can be.

And as a bonus, it offers a paint-free future.

The Cooper's system involves spraying a solvent on to the painted surface, rubbing the softened paint off with fine steel wool, then cleaning the surface with a flushing solution.

Richard Siddall, the manager of the franchised business, says Cooper's removes all types of paint, varnish, lacquer, shellac, oil and wax - often within a minute.

Old lead paint will take longer, and a second application might be needed to lift 20 coats.

Unlike some strippers, Cooper's does not fur, bleach or leach the wood surface. No sanding is required.

To finish, the company has a moisturiser for interior surfaces which once applied does not need recoating, even on floors.

"We show people how to strip a floor of polyurethane and apply the moisturiser, and that is cheaper than resanding and polyurethaning again. It also leaves the hard, coloured patina that forms on old timber."

The company's consultants spend about an hour in the home demonstrating the stripping and finishing techniques before leaving the homeowner to get on with it.

The cost, Mr Siddall says, averages $12 to $14 a square metre and the product comes in 22 pack sizes, with discounts for bigger projects.