Monday, July 16, 2012

Stripping the Fireplace

I've been looking at this paint job for four years, wondering what beautiful bricks might be beneath the tan, white, maroon and peach layers. 


I like to do my research before tacking a new project, soI've read a few other blog posts about stripping paint from fireplace brick. Checking these posts helps me get pumped up to take on the project! I want to give a special shout out to a few of you:
I went into this project expecting the worst. I expected difficult labor, lots of time, elbow grease, strippers, soda blasters, brushes, drips, stink and a very unhappy husband.


So I gathered some supplies... I am using a few different brands of each product that we have left over in the basement. On the woodwork we've been using Smart Strip, but I wanted to polish off the other cans of product in the basement.


Then I ran some tests. First, applying chemical stripper straight onto the painted brick. A test with stripper applied to the paint:


Stripper alone doesn't cut it. Even two applications didn't get to the first layer of paint. This might be a point where a specific product would be preferred (insert your favorite product here).

In another spot, I tried hitting the paint with the heat gun, scraping off what I could, and then going after it with the chemical stripper. The heat gun made a huge different, as you can see. It really loosened the paint's grip on the brick. It wasn't too impressive though- it felt like trying to comb gum from your hair. Really stick gum. And not your hair, but maybe a teddy bear's hair. But after the heat gun, the stripper worked very well.

 

The heat gun takes roughly 3-5 minutes per brick, and I use my painter's tool in a chiseling fashion, scraping away some of the paint.


The chemical stripper sits on the brick for about 15 minutes. Then I scrap off some goo with a plastic scraper. Next, I dunk a wire brush or steel wool (I use either and my preference varies as I work) in mineral spirits and scrub off the residue. It takes about 5-6 minutes to scrub each brick and the neighboring mortar.


I haven't used the vinegar to remove the residue yet because when I went to grab it from below the sink, I saw a Magic Eraser and thought that would be an interesting experiment. Of course, the eraser disintegrates quickly, but it definitely did the job. However, it doesn't really get into the crevices well. I'm hoping vinegar and a towel will have better results. But still, not bad. This last picture shows a few bricks that I wiped down with the eraser. You can see a slight change in the color- the flatter gray is residue stained by the mortar. The bricks themselves are a color similar to sidewalk concrete.




I took this picture before finishing for the day. I have about half of this side of the fireplace cleaned down to the brick and it took about half a day. It's really not bad at all. I feel very lucky that it's going this well!

11 comments:

  1. Yeah!! I love to see people strip paint off their brick fireplaces. Someday I may undertake to strip ours.

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    1. Sasha, I hope your bricks are as "easy" to strip as ours! In my opinion it's going really well.

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  2. We're thinking about stripping ours someday. Since the paint looks pretty solid, we haven't been very motivated so far. I hope the rest of yours goes well.

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    1. Thanks! I think we're pretty lucky. It could certainly be worse that it has been. It actually seems to go fairly "fast" for what it is!

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  3. interesting. i don't think I have seen grey bricks before. I found this post entertaining since i PAINTED brick in our house! the stuff i painted (if you remember) was an addition sometime in the 80's i believe. From what I can see in the living, room, i think we probably have some pretty sweet brick under the unfinished slate the last owner added. i'm not about to open THAT can of worms!! do you think you are going to leave the brick au natural or stain it?

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    1. I've also wondered what is under your tile! I was afraid to strip the paint in case we'd discover the bricks were falling apart or something. The mortar on our fireplace is crumbling is spots, so I'm looking for a mason to repoint. Do you know any masons?

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  4. Ugh, that just gave me flashbacks. What a nightmare job that was. I still have some green paint deep in the pits of the brick. I plan on going over the whole thing again with Peel Away and scrubbing with a wire brush, then washing it off. Then I heard to spray a mix of mineral spirits and something else (can't remember off hand) and it makes the bricks a bit shinier instead of so dull after all that scrubbing. Good luck! Can't wait to see the finished result.

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    1. Nina: We've been using mineral spirits to help remove the residue from the stripper, but maybe an extra wash is in order, because the bricks are very dull!

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  5. I feel your pain, but it looks good so far! I stripped ours (although it was wood it was daunting due to the egg and dart details) using a range of bizarre products and tools and my secret tool: glasses of wine. Good luck!!

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    1. I need to scroll back through your blog to check out that post!

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  6. I feel your pain, but it looks good so far! I stripped ours (although it was wood it was daunting due to the egg and dart details) using a range of bizarre products and tools and my secret tool: glasses of wine. Good luck!!

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