Removing paint from brick

[OnionPatch]

My fireplace is a nice reddish-pink brick. The problem is that whoever lived here before we bought the house, splashed black paint splotches all over it to, presumably, make it look mottled or rustic or whatever. I find the look soooo 70's and hate it. How can I get these black splotches off? I scraped at a spot with a pumice stone and it came off, so I know for sure that it's paint but the pumice wears down so fast it would take a ton of it to remove all the paint. Any better, easier way?

[politicat]

1. Any idea what kind of paint?

A citrus stripper won't harm the brick if it's latex paint, but if it's oil, you'll need a toulene based stripper (and those are bad news.) Pumice, while relatively safe, isn't so good for breathing the dust and can cause lung problems.

A stripper of any sort will make the process go faster.

How about sandpaper and a sander?

[OnionPatch]

2. No idea what kind of paint it is

I never intended to use pumice on the whole thing, I was just trying a spot to see if the splotches were indeed painted on.

I wonder, could I try a citrus stripper and just see if it works? If it's oil-based, and I try the citrus, will it hurt anything?

[LiberalUprising]

3. No, it won't hurt anything

It just won't work

Brick is very porous and will absorb paint into it's pores, it will probably take several applications to remove all traces of paint.

Have ya tried a wire brush with the stripper?

If the citrus doesn't work you could try lacquer thinner but use caution, wear chemical resistant gloves and eye protection, this stuff really burns if it gets on your skin. A cheap raincoat will keep it off your arms and body.
We use it to clean paint build up on our spray rig guns, soak 'em for 10 minutes and they look like new.

If ya do get some on your skin, wash off immediatly with water.

Brush some on with an old brush and let it set a few minutes, then use a wire brush on the brick, be sure to cover all exposed skin, eyes and surrounding areas from the spatters. :-)

On Edit

Try the lacquer thinner on an inconspicuous spot first, it shouldn't discolor the brick but it's better to be sure.

[politicat]

4. shouldn't, but....

as with all things, test in an unobtrusive area first.

You never know.

[bleedingheart]

5. be very careful with paint removers

many of them can stain brick. I think the citrus ones are okay but like someone mentioned ...test it first.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. What about sand blasting?

To be SURE, it is messy. But it works. Contain the mess and dust with clear plastic sheeting well sealed with duct tape (**Surely** you have some of that around, don't you? :) ).

A simple, cheap siphon sand blaster and an air compressor will do the job.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/sand-blasting.htm

or

[MindPilot]

10. Soda-blasting might work better

Uses baking soda instead of sand so there is less chance of damaging the substrate. A bit more expensive, but mine works like a dream from removing paint and crud from delicate stuff. The smallest unit is $250

http://www.ace-sandblasting.com/soda-blasting.html

[GregD]

7. What will you do after the bricks are stripped?

I can imagine that the paint can be removed one way or another, perhaps with a wired brush, but what then?

My late-50's home was a ranch style, very traditional, with a brick fireplace. I wanted a contemporary look.

We skim-coated the bricks with mortar so that the surface was evened out. Then we took granite tiles and covered the bricks entirely.

In this case, a 12-inch flamed tile was used. These tiles, instead of being the typically smooth and shiny granite surface, it was a rough surface. We set the tile with 1/8-inch grout lines, and while most of the field was square, there were a couple rows of 6" tiles (the 12-inch tile quartered) that were set on the diagonal.

The transformation was dramatic. A rustic look sudenly changed in an afternoon to a very modern and appealing style.

[OnionPatch]

8. Wow that's pretty

I like what you did. Creative. It's good to know that I could do something similar if I ever get sick of looking at mine. Looks like you did a great job. For now we're just going to leave our bricks the way they are, minus the black paint splotches. They are a pinkish-red sort of terra-cotta color. I was thinking of doing something I saw on one of the home channels where you add some extra mortar (or whatever the goop between bricks is called) in the cracks to make it even more rustic looking. I like rustic. I live on a (mini) ranch, so it fits in here.

Is that an insert? We are planning on getting an insert, too. Hopefully before winter sets in. Do you like it? Does it heat well?

[GregD]

9. Yes, it's an insert.

It works fine, but I didn't use it much. I used the master bedroom as my office, and tended to hang out back there all the time. During the winter, I would use a small oil-filled electric heater to warm that room. The fireplace in the living room was just too much trouobl, and too far away (other end of the house) to bother with for general daily heating.

Here is the rest of the room that the fireplace is in. The reface of the fireplace was part of a larger remodeling effort. We tore out the flat ceiling and the roof, rebuilt the roof with 2x10 rafters, and vaulted the ceiling. There is also a 4' x 6' operable skylight in the ceiling, and a bay window facing the street

[Nevernose]

11. Ross Perot's method:

After Ross Perot became rich, he purchased his childhood home, a nice traditional circa 1900-1910 which had been painted in the intervening years.

Ross' solution? He paid somebody to take each and every brick on the outside of the home, remove it, and replace it (with new mortar) inside out. Perhaps a little psychotic (at least in Ross Perot's case), but perhaps more time-consuming than expensive if you DIY. Just a thought.