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Rebecca asked: How can I clean paint from concrete? Primer sealing paint for outdoors was spilt on our stenciled concrete and we cannot get it off. We have applied mineral turps, but nothing happened.
There are a couple of ways to remove paint from concrete, though none are quick and easy. The most common way to remove paint is by applying a chemical stripper. Here is how to choose one and remove the paint from your concrete.
You Will Need:
- Paint Stripper (see guidelines below on choosing one)
- Scrub brush
- Soft cloths
- Hose
Steps to Remove the Paint:
- All paint companies that make paint, also make products to remove that paint. If you are unsuccessful with traditional strippers such as turpentine or mineral spirits, it is best to contact the manufacturer to see what they recommend. There should be a contact number on the can of paint that can be used to reach customer service. Explain the material you are trying to remove paint from and they will tell you the appropriate product to use.
- Once selected, the stripper will need to be applied per the manufacturer’s instructions.
- In most cases, the stripper is applied to the surface and allowed to set for a predetermined amount of time.
- After the stripper has set, the paint will likely need to be scrubbed off.
- Once the paint is removed, the entire area needs to be cleaned and washed to remove any remaining residue.
Additional Tips and Advice
- There are soy-based gel cleaners available that are non-toxic and much easier on the environment than some of the more traditional strippers. The gel is spread onto the paint and allowed to set. Then it is wiped off and the paint comes right off. Since it’s a gel, it can be moved to a new spot and reused. Therefore, it takes less product to strip a larger area.
- Power washers are another option that are commonly used to remove paint. The pressure from the water removes the paint from the surface of the concrete without any chemicals.
How do I remove oil paint from concrete?
I used Dawn dish soap and a metal scrub brush. It got almost all of it out.
There are really two different broad categories for removing paint off concrete: mechanical or chemical. The article went with the chemical methods, but for mechanical, try this. If you are lucky and the concrete is deteriorating, the paint can be scraped off or blasted with a power washer fairly easily. If the concrete is strong and stable, than you can sand it with an orbital or belt sander with coarse grit (i.e. less than 100) or large areas rent a floor sander/polisher. The other option is use a grinder or drill with a wire brush or similar grinding pad to scour it off. I had painted concrete steps that needed to be ground down before mortaring flagstone to it and the grinder drill method was a perfect solution.
How do I remove/clean paint from concrete? I spilled Behr premium white wood stain and sealer on concrete. Any proven help to clean up? Thank you!
Thank you for the pretty impressive post. I’m happy to find a lot of useful information here in the post.
I have a large concrete flower pot that is heavy with glaze and it was painted. I have finally gotten the paint off, but how do I remove the glaze?