Removing paint from brick? ? ?

We have a brick hearth which was speckled with paint droppings many years ago.

I've done everything I can think of to get the drops out -- scraping, scrubbing, even used paint remover. But nothing works. I think the paint has seeped deep into the brick.

Any suggestions welcome.

Reply to
Ray
Loading thread data ...

There are no such suggestions. Brick is so porous any paint that sticks to it becomes irremovable except by scraping.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

Can't get it out because the surface is too rough and irregular. Very easy to conceal small spots with acryllic paint from the craft store - I used it to cover dark brown stain my neighbor got on concrete deck.

Reply to
Norminn

What kind of paint remover did you use? If it did not contain methylene chloride, then try again with a brand that does. ZipStrip is one such brand, there are probably others. You probably won't find ZipStrip at Lowe's or Home Depot, but Ace Hardware sells it.

Reply to
Doug Miller

That is a really tough one.

I have seen some paint removal "kits" that include a thick gel type chemical and a backing material. The whole think like a towel soaked in a gel is slapped on the project and allowed to work and then the whole thing is pulled off. I have never tried it myself. In my younger days I did remove paint from my 2½ story brick home using a sand blasting outfit. I suspect that might be a little messy for what you need and you would need to do all the brick because it would clean out any old soot etc on the brick as well.

Good Luck.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Thanks -- will do that.

Reply to
Ray

That's not true.

  1. In my first house, some knucklehead previous owner had painted over a brick fireplace. Four applications of methylene chloride-based paint remover (ZipStrip brand specifically) removed _every_trace_ of paint.

  1. Three blocks south of where I live now, some idiot had years ago painted an entire brick house. The current owner had it sandblasted just last week, and (from the street, at least) you can't tell it had ever been painted.

  2. I would find it entertaining to watch you trying to scrape paint off of a brick.
Reply to
Doug Miller

Any solution to washing soot off white brick (cement bricks) fire place? Frank

Reply to
Frank

The success of removing paint from brick depends greatly on the particular brick and paint...

Brick w/ a fired face has fairly low porosity and a relatively smooth surface to stripper can work pretty effectively.

Sandblasting can work on the surface of about anything, of course, but if it is a really rough, pourous surface and they happened to use a thinner paint that got really taken up, it'll probably be impossible to remove it all in any practical sense.

Some brick is soft enough that couldn't use sandblasting without basically taking the brick, too...

In short, there are almost as many possible outcomes as there are applications...

Just a gripe against over-generalization in general, nothing else...

Reply to
dpb

Depending on the house, he may not have been an idiot. Painted brick is historically accurate for many early American homes. Back then, it was only the unrefined lower classes who had bare brick.

Reply to
anyone

Washing soda -- NOT baking soda -- works wonders on soot on glass fireplace doors; worth a try on brick.

Mix a cup of washing soda in a gallon of warm water, and start scrubbing. Wear rubber gloves, though -- if you don't, you will rapidly become aware of the exact location of every nick, scratch, and hangnail on your hands and fingers. Won't do any real damage unless you get it in your eyes, but it does sting.

You can find washing soda on the laundry detergent aisle in many grocery stores, usually next to the borax. Not sure where you are; here in Indianapolis, I get it at Kroger. Two dollars and change for a 3-pound box.

Reply to
Doug Miller

You might be surprised at what ZipStrip can pull out of even rough and porous brick.

Quite true; I didn't mean to appear to be suggesting that paint could *always* be removed from brick, just that "never" isn't the case at all.

Reply to
Doug Miller

For the lowly like the residents of Governors' Palace, Williamsburg, VA

formatting link
or that lowly guttersnipe TJ's Monticello, I presume you mean?

formatting link
:)

--

Reply to
dpb

You may need to do some further research! Check out England while you are at it.

Reply to
anyone

Again, it was the "only" that got my attention... :)

Reply to
dpb

Pretty selective interpretation, considering the rest of what I said! LOL

"Depending on the house, he may not have been an idiot. Painted brick is historically accurate for many early American homes. "

Reply to
anyone

Built in about 1960.

Reply to
Doug Miller

If you hadn't followed that w/ the last sentence that drew the boundaries too wide, you would have escaped _totally_ unscathed... :)

Figured having just gently excoriated Doug he shouldn't feel like I was picking only on him... :)

Vbg...

--

Reply to
dpb

LOL - you're fine.

Reply to
Doug Miller

  1. Works if the paint isn't smeared in. Tough to get off the brick.

  1. Didn't want to suggest sandblasting indoors.

  2. Works if it is drops that didn't get smeared/brushed into the mortar/brick/concrete.
Reply to
Norminn

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.