Old Paint On Brick
#1
05-02-00, 01:10 PM
I have old paint on a soft brick wall that needs to be removed. What chemicals, etc. would do the job without damaging the brick?
#2
05-02-00, 11:21 PM
How to remove paint from brick without harming the brick itself, along with the best method or paint to paint brick with, have to among the most frequently asked brick questions. There are no universal answers to either question.
In many cases a semi-paste paint remover or a graffiti remover will remove most of the paint without staining the brick IF the brick is wetted first. Wetting the brick reduces the strippers effectiveness, but there is less chance of dissolved paint penetrating further into the brick. Often repeated applications of stripper are necessary. Also, refrain from working in direct sun light or during windy conditions (both will dry the stripper on the surface resulting in stains).
The bigger problems are removing the last traces of pigment from the brick and removing paint and pigment from the mortar. Typically this involves some form of abrasion, such as hand scrubbing with a stiff brush, paint stripping pad, and using a dental pick to remove small traces from the mortar. (BTW, sometimes a poultice of TSP and naptha will remove deeply embedded pigment).
As far as paint stripper go: semi-paste strippers (BIX, JASCO) generally work better on oil based paints, the newer citrus based (Citristrip) products are good for latex, and good old fashioned lye (sodium hydroxide) based strippers (Peel Away) work on either type of paint but must be flushed from the surface and be neutralized afterward. No matter what product or method you choose, always do a test patch in an inconspicuous area first.
If you want all of the paint off and you want it done fast, sandblasting or soda blasting are two intensive abrasive solutions, but neither one meets your specification of not harming the brick.
When it comes to removing paint there are only three methods: abrasion (in all of its forms, regardless of the name used to describe the process), chemically (acids, bases, dissolving the film) and extreme heat or cold (again multiple forms). The high tech solution is on its way, (removal by lazer), but it will be quite a few years before it will be available to contractors or the public at large.
In many cases a semi-paste paint remover or a graffiti remover will remove most of the paint without staining the brick IF the brick is wetted first. Wetting the brick reduces the strippers effectiveness, but there is less chance of dissolved paint penetrating further into the brick. Often repeated applications of stripper are necessary. Also, refrain from working in direct sun light or during windy conditions (both will dry the stripper on the surface resulting in stains).
The bigger problems are removing the last traces of pigment from the brick and removing paint and pigment from the mortar. Typically this involves some form of abrasion, such as hand scrubbing with a stiff brush, paint stripping pad, and using a dental pick to remove small traces from the mortar. (BTW, sometimes a poultice of TSP and naptha will remove deeply embedded pigment).
As far as paint stripper go: semi-paste strippers (BIX, JASCO) generally work better on oil based paints, the newer citrus based (Citristrip) products are good for latex, and good old fashioned lye (sodium hydroxide) based strippers (Peel Away) work on either type of paint but must be flushed from the surface and be neutralized afterward. No matter what product or method you choose, always do a test patch in an inconspicuous area first.
If you want all of the paint off and you want it done fast, sandblasting or soda blasting are two intensive abrasive solutions, but neither one meets your specification of not harming the brick.
When it comes to removing paint there are only three methods: abrasion (in all of its forms, regardless of the name used to describe the process), chemically (acids, bases, dissolving the film) and extreme heat or cold (again multiple forms). The high tech solution is on its way, (removal by lazer), but it will be quite a few years before it will be available to contractors or the public at large.
#3
05-03-00, 09:15 AM
Thanks for the information.
quote:<HR>Originally posted by 2000:
How to remove paint from brick without harming the brick itself, along with the best method or paint to paint brick with, have to among the most frequently asked brick questions. There are no universal answers to either question.
In many cases a semi-paste paint remover or a graffiti remover will remove most of the paint without staining the brick IF the brick is wetted first. Wetting the brick reduces the strippers effectiveness, but there is less chance of dissolved paint penetrating further into the brick. Often repeated applications of stripper are necessary. Also, refrain from working in direct sun light or during windy conditions (both will dry the stripper on the surface resulting in stains).
The bigger problems are removing the last traces of pigment from the brick and removing paint and pigment from the mortar. Typically this involves some form of abrasion, such as hand scrubbing with a stiff brush, paint stripping pad, and using a dental pick to remove small traces from the mortar. (BTW, sometimes a poultice of TSP and naptha will remove deeply embedded pigment).
As far as paint stripper go: semi-paste strippers (BIX, JASCO) generally work better on oil based paints, the newer citrus based (Citristrip) products are good for latex, and good old fashioned lye (sodium hydroxide) based strippers (Peel Away) work on either type of paint but must be flushed from the surface and be neutralized afterward. No matter what product or method you choose, always do a test patch in an inconspicuous area first.
If you want all of the paint off and you want it done fast, sandblasting or soda blasting are two intensive abrasive solutions, but neither one meets your specification of not harming the brick.
When it comes to removing paint there are only three methods: abrasion (in all of its forms, regardless of the name used to describe the process), chemically (acids, bases, dissolving the film) and extreme heat or cold (again multiple forms). The high tech solution is on its way, (removal by lazer), but it will be quite a few years before it will be available to contractors or the public at large.
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