Decorating ideas change with time. Remember when everything in your kitchen just had to be avocado? Now you're faced with painted exterior brick when what you want is to display your taste through unpainted red brick. Brick can look old---but it can't be covered in paint. But how do you remove old paint from exterior brick? Sandblasting is one obvious answer, but the results of sandblasting old brick can be terrible. Power washing can be just as destructive. Unless you want to destroy the protective coating on your brick, you'll need to take a less drastic approach to the problem.
Instructions
1. Gently wash the painted brick with warm water and dish soap, using a sponge to apply the soapy water. Hose off gently with a garden hose and allow the brick to dry completely.
2. Put on your eye protection, breathing mask and gloves. Use a paintbrush to apply a coat of nontoxic biodegradable gel paint remover to a small test area of painted brick. Press a piece of cloth over the gel and press the cloth firmly against the entire gelled surface with your gloved hands. Allow the gel to dry.
3. Peel the cloth off the wall. Most of the paint should come off with the cloth. Inspect for new or previous damage to the brick.
4. Apply gel to a larger portion of the wall. Press a cloth against the wet gel and rub the cloth so it adheres completely to the wall. Allow the gel to dry and then peel away the cloth.
5. Scrub stubborn areas with a fingernail cleaning brush (not a metal brush).
