Replies

1. 
   WillGeorge | Jul 02, 2005 02:22am | #1

   Wire Brush?

   EDIT:: After it dries a bit...

   
   

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   Edited 7/1/2005 7:32 pm ET by Will George

2. 
   msm | Jul 02, 2005 09:36am | #2

   bricks are so porous and suck up the paint, i doubt it will ever cleanly come off, even with all the labor you seem to be willing to put into it.

   options are to learn to like the "aged" chalky look; repaint them with a color you like better; or possibly try a thinned down darker paint wash; it might help disguise the chalkiness while leaving the brick more exposed than an opaque paint job.

   
   

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   Edited 7/2/2005 2:37 am ET by MSM

3. 
   lwj2 | Jul 02, 2005 07:50pm | #3

   I saw one contractor here (Roanoke, VA) sandblast an older (~1928) brick house that had been painted in the past.

   It was messy and expensive.

   Good luck. I'd repaint it myself.

   (This from the guy who lives in a brick veneer house whose bricks are, thankfully, unpainted.)

   Leon Jester
4. 
   hacknhope | Jul 03, 2005 03:49am | #4

   It sounded more like you are doing touch-up than whole-house stripping.  

   Locally, we've seen the work of a company that does brick tinting which can spot treat to hide discoloration etc.   We watched them do a whole house and it was pretty amazing.  Maybe you can find someone; or the product.

   http://www.permatint.com

   Also, many years before I saw the professional tinting, I removed some paint from brick around a whole porch where previous owner missed the trim by about 3-4 inches (took my chances on some damage from chemicals and scrubbing).  The diluted paint did show up as a cloudy area, but I was able to hide this by 'staining' over some spots with a wet slurry of abraded dust from the same bricks.  That brick was pretty smooth, though, not that stuff with the grooves.

    

1. 
   msm | Jul 04, 2005 05:50pm | #5

   hack- using a slurry of brick dust is a great idea-- did you use something as a binder to make it adhere permanently?

1. 
   hacknhope | Jul 04, 2005 10:09pm | #8

   " did you use a binder...permanent"

   No way my technique was that planned.  My patination slurry was the perfect combination of brick dust, garden clay and spit.  Hard to ramp up production.  Still looks great.  LOL. 

   It's worth looking into the professional tints because they should be developed with an eye to not damaging the brick - i.e., correct ph in both the liquid base and pigments.  If you can hide stains, non-destructively, you can avoid taking off the protective surface layer of your brick with chemicals or sand-blasting. 

1. 
   rover1 | Jul 05, 2005 09:28pm | #9

   After trial and error, I have a method that works for getting paint off rough exterior brick. I apply a paint stipper GEL approved for use on masonry to the surface with an old paint brush and give it a good scrub with a wire brush. This will loosen any paint and it will appear chalky. Leave this alone and let it dry overnight. After this is dry, take Muriatic Acid as per manufacturers instructions and spray onto the chalky areas, then scrub with a wire brush. Rinse thouroughly with plain water. This should remove most if not all of the paint while at the same time leaving the brick surface clean.

5. 
   davidmeiland | Jul 04, 2005 06:12pm | #6

   Liquid stripper is futile. Get someone to blast it with walnut shell. Anyone who does sandblasting knows what to do.

6. 
   junkhound | Jul 04, 2005 06:48pm | #7

   3500 psi or higher pressure washer, 10 or 15 deg tip about 1-1/2" away, that will also remove any loose mortar so you can tuckpoint right after pressure washing. .

7. 
   BryanSayer | Jul 05, 2005 11:03pm | #10

   You might try Peel-Away, which is a thick paste and is covered with paper. I think for brick you can use formula 1 (which is just lye and cornstarch - you can make your own) but I'm not positive.

   BTW, I'd suggest using either brass or nylon - not wire. You can end up with rust.