Avoid spray strippers unless you’re working in an isolated area. These sprays tend to be a little weaker and are much harder to use. If you’re removing paint from a wall, look for a stripper that does not contain methylene chloride. Methylene-free strippers tend to have thick textures and won’t easily drip down a vertical surface. Paint strippers are often marketed as paint removers. Get a kit that comes with plastic sheeting for the stripper to make things easier. Strippers that rely on air drying need to be washed away and don’t tend to be as effective.
It’s not the end of the world if you don’t wash your bricks, but it will be a little tougher to scrape the paint away if you don’t clean them.
This process typically takes a few hours. Don’t start this process if it’s really cold or forecasted to rain. Go ahead and skip this step if you’re stripping bricks on a floor.
You normally don’t have to wear a respirator, but you may want to wear one if you’re working inside to avoid irritating your lungs. If you’re using a stripper indoors, open the windows to keep the room well-ventilated. Turn on any fans to increase the air flow as well. Keep any pets or children out of the room where you’ll be working—preferably on a different floor.
These sheets are typically around 5 by 5 feet (1. 5 by 1. 5 m), but your sheets may be a little bigger or smaller. You don’t need to be exact about it, though. If your sheets are 8 by 8 ft (2. 4 by 2. 4 m) for example, it’s not a big deal if you cover a 10 by 12 ft (3. 0 by 3. 7 m) section in stripper before applying the sheet. If you do need plastic sheeting and it didn’t come with your stripper, purchase peel-away laminated paper. This is the same thing as the plastic sheeting that comes with the stripper kits. Some paint strippers don’t use plastic sheeting, but most caustic strippers do. However, if your stripper doesn’t rely on sheeting to eat away the paint, skip the steps related to the plastic sheeting.
Your brush strokes don’t really matter. How the paint stripper is applied matters less than how thick it is once you apply it. If you’re using a trowel or putty knife to apply your stripper, dip the blade into the stripper and scrape it into the surface by dragging the loaded edge across the surface at a 45-degree angle. Reload your stripper as needed to apply more of it. If you’re stripping a tall wall, get a stable ladder and work your way from the top of the wall to the bottom. Enlist a friend to hold the ladder at the bottom so that you don’t fall off while you work.
Paint stripper is usually white, and it should be pretty easy to recognize when you’ve missed a section.
Push air bubbles out towards the edges of the sheeting to remove them. You may need to remove an adhesive back before applying the sheet, but most plastic sheets come ready to be applied. If you’re using a ladder, don’t unfold your sheet until you get to the top of the ladder. Enlist a friend to hold it for you and work slowly to ensure that you stay safe. Some strippers don’t use plastic sheeting. If your stripper doesn’t, simply let it air dry after applying it before washing and scraping it off.
Depending on the size of your wall, this may be time consuming. For an exterior wall, expect to spend a few hours applying the sheets.
In most cases, the stripper will be more effective the longer you wait. If your stripper lists a range of waiting times, like 30-60 minutes, wait the maximum amount of time listed if you want to make this process easier.
You may notice a lot of the stripper peeling off with your sheets, revealing the clean brick underneath. Don’t worry if this doesn’t happen, though. The remaining paint should be pretty easy to remove.
This process should be fairly easy. You shouldn’t need to apply a lot of pressure to remove the weakened paint. However, this can take quite some time. Expect to spend a few hours scraping a large external wall. Fold your drop cloth up and discard it along with your used plastic sheeting.
If your brick has been painted over multiple times, you may need to repeat the entire process across your entire surface.
Let your brick air dry after washing it.
