Stripping brick

[WordMan]

Hey guys and gals...

Looking forward to actually working on my house (yeah, I'll believe it when I see it, too), and I note the painted brick is peeling in a lot of areas (especially down near the ground), and is in overall poor shape.

I'm thinking it would be best to strip it? Is that possible? Is it possible to strip it well enough I don't have to repaint it? What would I use to strip it? I see a lot of stuff online saying you shouldn't sand blast it, so what then?

Thanks!!

 

[The Cobbler]

the painted brick is peeling in a lot of areas

common issue with painted brick. it's the moisture wicking out causing the paint to peel . I cringe when I see people painting brick, it changes a virtually maintenance free product in to an ongoing maintenance product

 

[Stuart in MN]

Brick can be difficult to strip, particularly if it has a rough surface since the paint gets down in all the crevices. Media blasting is likely going to damage the brick by taking off the fired surface. It may work if the brick is sturdy enough and the blast media and air pressure is gentle enough, but you'll be taking chances. Chemical stripper may work, try applying it and then covering it with plastic so it has time to work without drying out, then pressure washing after (careful with that too, high water pressure can damage the mortar.). Mechanical stripping with a wire brush can also cause damage .

The best choice is a time machine, so you can go back and slap the person who painted it in the first place. . Whatever method you try, be very careful before you're sure it won't make matters worse.

 

[PopcornSutton]

Pressure wash it, let it dry, repaint.

 

[Old Man Roger]

Did I read somewhere that soda blasting or walnut blasting was easier on the brick? I know wet bead blasting does less damage to sheet metal, I have no idea about bricks. Worth investigating?

 

[txvwnut]

Baking soda or dry ice blasting would be my suggestion.

 

[larry4406]

I was involved with a renovation of a very large brick warehouse/factory style building from the 1870's. The GC used dry ice blasting to clean the brick and ready it for repairs. The dry ice setup was in a trailer that got wheeled around the building. Several hoses were fed from it and several blasters worked at a time off the scaffolding. Tarps were deployed on the scaffold to "contain" the blast debris. The dry ice was nice as it vaporized and only the dry debris cleanup was needed. The ice looked like fine grains of rice as I recall.

Last year we built a house for customer that wanted the brick painted white. I recall the mason using a different style brick that was specifically meant for painted applications. I do not recall if they used a different mortar. Mason said that regular brick should not be painted as the moisture will cause paint adhesion problems.

 

[SteveCh]

Isn't there the death penalty for painting brick? Just sayin'.

 

[Cobra5150]

^^^^^^There should be^^^^^^

A new house is being built down the street from us and the wife mentioned the white brick. I told her it looked nice and she reminded me I didn’t like white brick. I replied if the brick Is ACTUALLY white then it’s OK. It’s the painting I hate.

 

[gregs]

There are some lime based finishes that can be applied to brick to lighten or change the color. Doesnt have the problems that paint does. A problem with brick is that it can be a color that is no longer in style. Hence the easiest thing to do is paint it and hopefully not be around for it peeling off later...

 

[Ben Sandler]

My brother built a house last year and wanted to paint the bricks white. The masons advised him not to, saying it would become an ongoing maintenance headache and he'd have to repaint every few years. Ended up just leaving them as is. When they get dirty he just does a soft wash and they come up looking brand new. Wish more people got that advice before painting in the first place.

 

[gregs]

I have seen houses built that the brick was painted as part of construction. My inlaws house was a funky pink shaded brick that they had painted grey. Thats been at least 20 years ago and its held up without peeling off. I wonder if people pressure wash the brick first then paint it without giving it sufficient time to dry out. Then the moisture in the brick would cause the paint to lift.