Removing Paint from Brick

Have you ever noticed how many brick homes happen to have the bricks hidden by layers and layers of paint? Unfortunately, this is a fairly common occurrence that can lead to all kinds of extra work later on. If you want to either repaint the walls, or even restore the brick back to its original beauty, then you are going to need to remove it. Luckily removing paint from brick is a fairly straightforward project, though it can be a tad tedious. All you need to do is follow these simple directions, and you will be removing that paint in no time. Be aware, these instructions only discuss how you can remove the paint from the brick. It does not go into how you can repaint, or even seal, the brick once you have removed all of the paint.

Materials needed:

• Clean rags (lots)
• Lots of clean strips of cloth
• Stiff bristled brush
• 5 gallon water bucket
• Paint removal solution (gel or paste is best)
• Large clean paint brush

Procedure:

1. Prepare solution. Make sure that you have chosen either a gel or paste solution since they will be easier to work with. Follow the manufacturer's directions for mixing the paint removal solution. The gel and paste solutions are more likely to be gentle on the bricks, and not cause any undo damage to the brick and mortar.
2. Test solution. Use a large, clean paint brush, and apply a little bit of the paste or solution to the bricks. Choose a location that is in an out of the way location, and that won't be immediately noticeable if there is an adverse reaction. Place a strip of cloth over the test area and wait for a few minutes. Allow the paste to soften and solidify before gently pulling away the cloth. As you pull the cloth away, the paint should come right off of the bricks.
3. Apply the solution. Assuming that the test went ok, proceed with applying the paint removal solution to the rest of the brick wall. Apply it in the same way that you did with the test phase. You can speed the process up a little by having a friend wait for a few minutes, and then begin removing the strips and the paint. Make sure that they are removing as much of the paint as possible when they are removing the strips of cloth.
4. Scrub the bricks. Use a stiff bristled brush, and a five gallon bucket of water, and scrub the bricks clean. This will help ensure that you remove any of the remaining paint, as well as help clean off the chemicals used to strip the paint. By using a stiff bristled brush you will also limit the damage done to the bricks and mortar, ensuring less work later on.
5. Examine the walls. Take a close look at your brick wall, and check to make sure that you have removed as much of the paint as you possibly can. While you are looking for any remaining paint, also take a look to see if the bricks are in good condition or not. Are there any bricks that are damaged or broken, and that need to be replaced? If there are, then have them repaired as soon as possible before you repaint or seal the rest of the bricks.