NewField Homes NewField Homes
  • Home Improvements
    • Building & Design
    • Decorating
    • Remodeling
    • Home Exterior
    • Living Areas
    • Home Management
    • Woodworking
  • Lawn & Garden
    • Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • Lawn Care
  • Real Estate
  • Home Improvements
    • Building & Design
    • Decorating
    • Remodeling
    • Home Exterior
    • Living Areas
    • Home Management
    • Woodworking
  • Lawn & Garden
    • Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • Lawn Care
  • Real Estate

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022

Categories

  • Building & Design
  • Decorating
  • Gardening
  • Home Exterior
  • Home Improvements
  • Home Management
  • Landscaping
  • Lawn & Garden
  • Lawn Care
  • Living Areas
  • Real Estate
  • Remodeling
  • Woodworking
42K
99K
0
0
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us
NewField Homes NewField Homes
  • Home Improvements
    • Building & Design
    • Decorating
    • Remodeling
    • Home Exterior
    • Living Areas
    • Home Management
    • Woodworking
  • Lawn & Garden
    • Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • Lawn Care
  • Real Estate
  • Home Improvements

How to Clean Paint from Brick (Power Washing, Sandblasting)

  • October 24, 2022
  • Perla Irish
Total
3
Shares
1
0
2
0
0
Table of Contents Show
  1. How to Clean Paint From Brick
  2. Sandblasting and Power Washing
  3. Liquid Thinners
  4. Gels and Pastes
Do you have to clean old paint from a brick surface? If you do, there are several methods that may work. Paint removing gels and pastes work well but have some drawbacks while sandblasting and power washing use brute force to remove latex based paint.

How to Clean Paint From Brick

If you have been unlucky enough to have drawn the task of cleaning paint off of brick you are in for quite a workout. Before you begin the task you’ll need to know the answers to a couple of basic questions.

What is the condition of the brick and how old is the paint? If the brick is in poor shape then removing the paint may do more damage than it’s worth. If the paint was manufactured before 1970, it likely contains a lead base.

Once you’ve got these questions answered you can choose the best method for paint removal.

This wall has been halfway cleaned with a power washer
This wall has been halfway cleaned with a power washer

Sandblasting and Power Washing

If your brick is in good shape and the paint was applied post 1970, then sandblasting and/or power washing are fine methods for paint removal. Because sandblasting and power washing use pressurized materials to blast away paint, there will be a lot of airborne particles.

For your safety, you should wear safety goggles and a respirator. Also if too much pressure is used it can ruin the finish of the brick, or possibly leave gouges and a very uneven surface.

Brick is a porous material, and power washing will cause the brick to soak up water. Before doing any further work on the brick, it will have to dry out. If the power washing doesn’t leave enough dry time before freezing temperatures set in, the brick will break from the inside out, as the water in the pores expands.


Read Also:

  • How to Paint Using Sponge on Faux Brick Walls: Create Realistic-Looking Faux Bricks with Ease
  • Laminated Flooring: How to Remove Wax Build Up

Liquid Thinners

Commercial paint thinners can be applied with a rag to a painted brick surface and then scraped away with a wire brush. This is particularly effective when dealing with oil based paints.

This type of removal can be done with any type of paint removal liquid (marine based thinners are usually the strongest). Whenever you are using this method, spread out a drop cloth beneath the area you are working on.

This process is extremely messy, often resulting in clumps of wet paint and solvent all over. This solvent can cause damage to other surfaces if it isn’t contained.

Whenever using these solvents it is important to wear a respirator. These liquids off gas very toxic fumes. If you are using them indoors it’s important to have the windows open and run a fan for ventilation.

Gels and Pastes

The most common method for removing lead based paints is using a gel or paste. These removers are applied in a thick layer on the painted surface, then a piece of fabric is pressed up against the gel.

After a short period of time the fabric is peeled away and the paint comes with it. This keeps the amount of lead based particles to a minimum, as most of the paint stays stuck to the fabric.

This process is the most lengthy of all, but often has the best result, and as such is the preferred method of restoring historic brick homes.

Cleaning paint off of brick often takes more than one attempt. The first run will remove a good portion of the paint, but there will still be areas in the recesses that aren’t clean.

Sometimes this “weathered” look is actually more attractive than completely clean brick. A second run through may clean the brick even further, but it could take four or five attempts before the brick is sufficiently clean for your needs. A good practice is to estimate the time it should take to clean the brick and multiply it by three.

If you run into the problem of a whitish tint on your bricks when you are cleaning them, you need to rinse the bricks more quickly and more thoroughly than you are already. The residual whitewash is the remnants of the paint re-adhering to the brick.

Total
3
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 2
Share 0
Perla Irish

Related Topics
  • brick
  • clean
  • paint
  • washing
You May Also Like
List of Top 15 Easy DIY Home Decor Projects
View Post
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvements

List of Top 15 Easy DIY Home Decor Projects

  • Perla Irish
  • January 29, 2023
How to Refinish an Antique Coffee Table
View Post
  • Home Improvements
  • Woodworking

How to Refinish an Antique Coffee Table

  • Perla Irish
  • December 30, 2022
Faux Wood Painting Techniques: Painting a Floor to Resemble Hardwood
View Post
  • Home Improvements
  • Woodworking

Faux Wood Painting Techniques: Painting a Floor to Resemble Hardwood

  • Perla Irish
  • December 27, 2022
View Post
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvements
  • Home Management

Playroom Storage 101: What are the Best Ideas for Kids Room Sanity?

  • Perla Irish
  • December 20, 2022
Featured image - Hiring Professional Removalists vs DIY Move
View Post
  • Home Improvements

Hiring Professional Removalists vs DIY Move

  • Perla Irish
  • December 20, 2022
Closet Organization 101 - The Best Storage & Organizer Ideas
View Post
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvements
  • Home Management

Closet Organization 101 – The Best Storage & Organizer Ideas

  • Perla Irish
  • December 11, 2022
View Post
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvements

Ideas for Decorating a Playroom

  • Perla Irish
  • December 6, 2022
Easy DIY Roman Shades: Step by Step Guide
View Post
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvements

Easy DIY Roman Shades: Step by Step Guide

  • Perla Irish
  • December 5, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts
  • List of Top 15 Easy DIY Home Decor Projects
    List of Top 15 Easy DIY Home Decor Projects
    • January 29, 2023
  • How to Refinish an Antique Coffee Table
    How to Refinish an Antique Coffee Table
    • December 30, 2022
  • Faux Wood Painting Techniques: Painting a Floor to Resemble Hardwood
    Faux Wood Painting Techniques: Painting a Floor to Resemble Hardwood
    • December 27, 2022
Featured Posts
  • List of Top 15 Easy DIY Home Decor Projects 1
    List of Top 15 Easy DIY Home Decor Projects
    • January 29, 2023
  • How to Refinish an Antique Coffee Table 2
    How to Refinish an Antique Coffee Table
    • December 30, 2022
  • Faux Wood Painting Techniques: Painting a Floor to Resemble Hardwood 3
    Faux Wood Painting Techniques: Painting a Floor to Resemble Hardwood
    • December 27, 2022
  • 4
    How to Make Hummingbird Nectar and Feed Them
    • December 25, 2022
  • 5
    Playroom Storage 101: What are the Best Ideas for Kids Room Sanity?
    • December 20, 2022
Categories
  • Building & Design (2)
  • Decorating (9)
  • Gardening (3)
  • Home Exterior (1)
  • Home Improvements (19)
  • Home Management (2)
  • Landscaping (1)
  • Lawn & Garden (7)
  • Lawn Care (4)
  • Living Areas (1)
  • Real Estate (3)
  • Remodeling (2)
  • Woodworking (2)

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

NewField Homes NewField Homes
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us
Home, Garden and Lifestyle Inspiration

Input your search keywords and press Enter.