What methods can I use to remove exterior paint from brick?

Question

I just purchased a historical house that was painted an ugly peach color. I bought some marine grade paint stripper that I was going to use little by little to strip the whole exterior by hand. This doesn't seem time or cost effective. I want to know what options are available to me to remove this paint without damaging the brick and mortar. Whether it be something I do, or a service.

I found this How can I remove paint from an indoor brick wall?, which mentions sand blasting and dry ice blasting. Is there anything else I can/should consider?

Answer 1

Have you considered simply painting the house a different color?

Removing paint from brick is very difficult, and involves the risk of damaging, discoloring, or completely ruining the bricks. Given that it is a historical house, you may have difficulty finding bricks to replace any damaged areas that may result from the removal process.

As a side note, you may want to try and find someone who was around at the time the house was painted. See if anyone can tell you if there was any visible problems with the brick before it was painted (graffiti? smoke damage? botched power wash job? rust stains?) You may be doing a whole lot of work just to uncover some discolored or otherwise damaged brick.

Answer 2

This all depends on how long the paint has been on the house and what kind of shape it's in. Because brick is a porous material paint adheres very well to it. I think your first step would be going to the local paint store and rent a power-washer. A gas powered power-washer. You are going to need as much psi as possible (at least 3000+) with a pin-hole revolving tip. This will blast away any paint that is loose on the brick.

This should be less damaging to the brick and mortar than sand blasting.

Depending on how successful this was in removing paint dictates your next steps, if most of the paint is gone, then maybe just a wire brush and some paint remover will get the job done. If you've power-washed your whole house and it is still covered in paint, then I would call a contractor and get quotes.