How to get old paint off of brick?

[Gogar]

It seems like at least 3 or 4 sets of folks have painted the gutters on my home since 1928, and apparently none of them actually took the time to remove the easy bits to do so. As such there are quite a few beautiful colors of green where the down spouts used to be.

Is there some magic wand to get this 50 year old paint off of the bricks? Or just learn to love it?

Thanks

[red-beard]

Sand blasting

[porsche930dude]

muratic acid is what a profesional would use I think but its dangerous stuff. Id just go at at it with a pressure washer and steel brush. maybe try some paint stripper gel. Just my 2 cents

[MRM]

That is one beautiful house. I would enjoy the patina and not worry about it. I actually like the colors. What's the story with the window? Is that a vinyl retrofit?

[dad911]

I've used soy-gel paint remover to strip sealer off of patterned concrete. Sprayed on, powerwashed off. Worth a test.

[NZVW]

That looks like Copper Oxide
Are you sure the house did not have copper spouting at some stage ???

Mark

[LWJ]

So without defacing the brick, you are left with chemical or thermal.

What would a big honking rosebud torch do to the paint?

A difficult situation. Heat might do it.

[id10t]

Anything you do will leave a super clean looking strip down where the green is now. Unless you do the whole thing. And then you'll end up doing all the walls.

I'd leave it. In a few years it won't be noticeable.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by NZVW

That looks like Copper Oxide
Are you sure the house did not have copper spouting at some stage ???

Mark

good point. goes behind the horizontal pipes.


New leader will hide most of it.

[Gogar]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Originally Posted by MRM

That is one beautiful house. I would enjoy the patina and not worry about it. I actually like the colors. What's the story with the window? Is that a vinyl retrofit?

Yes I did vinyl windows about 8 years ago, it was all I could afford at the time. I hope to be able to get a little more proper on the next go around.

Originally Posted by NZVW

That looks like Copper Oxide
Are you sure the house did not have copper spouting at some stage ???

Mark

Nah. It’s nasty green paint for sure.

[NZVW]

Originally Posted by NZVW

That looks like Copper Oxide
Are you sure the house did not have copper spouting at some stage ???

Mark

Definitely Cu ( copper ) staining. You can tell by the Non Uniform manner the stain has "crept" across the face of the bricks.

The Bricks have been re pointed at some stage, post the staining.
There would have been a vertical down pipe at this corner of the building earlier in its life.

If the house was built in the 20's there is a high chance that the copper down pipe was removed for its "scrap metal " value possibly during the Depression which would have let the water from the copper guttering to just drip straight down the wall for possibly years, causing the staining and also the need to re point ( cement plaster) between the bricks due to erosion of the pointing cement.

40 years as a Plumber and you see it all.

Mark

PS Just leave it,,, its called PATINA

[mreid]

Its paint. Given the brick wasn’t prepared properly, I would hit it with a power washer and it will probably come right off.

[Gogar]

Sorry you guys but it most definitely is green paint from years and years of green gutters.

Yes, there's at least 3 tuck pointing jobs, most recently last summer I had a guy come and do some touch ups, and there was a lot in this corner.


All signs are pointing to 'leave it'!

Thanks again.

[NZVW]

I shall leave this to you paint experts then !!

[JavaBrewer]

I would hit it with a pressure washer. Start easy and work your way up. Add some paint stripper and hit it again. You will need to shoot all exposed surfaces to match. Avoid the fine stream nozzle...it will take the brick out.

[MBAtarga]

How about one of those outfits that does graffiti removal using Dry Ice?

This place is local to you:
Dry Ice Blasting Colorado, Denver Environmentally Friendly & Safe Cleaning for Commercial & Industrial Services

[A930Rocket]

Paint stripper and light use of a pressure washer.

Works every time.

[Heel n Toe]

Call someone who's skilled with a dustless blaster... they could probably tell you if they could feather it a bit so it wouldn't be so obvious.
https://www.dustlessblasting.com/

[DanielDudley]

Steam.

[UconnTim97]

Paint the rest of the house green?