How to remove paint from concrete
How to remove paint from concrete and why do it? This question is asked by many who are thinking of making repairs in their old apartment, where paint is often used to finish covering walls in rooms such as bathrooms and a kitchen.
The paint was replaced by new coatings - tiles, before laying which you must remove the old coating. How to remove old paint from a concrete wall, the article will tell.
The content of the article
What types of paints are used on concrete
On concrete walls, one type of paint holds very firmly and to remove it requires sufficient effort, others are removed without much difficulty.
On a concrete surface, paints such as:
- Water based paint.
- Acrylic paint.
- Oily.
The strongest connection is obtained with oil paint with a concrete base, on which there is no plaster. The most difficult thing is to remove this coating from the ceiling with your own hands.
How to remove paint from concrete
To remove the old paint, different methods are used, depending on the type of surface from which it is necessary to remove the old coating.
You can peel the paint:
- A stiff brush.
- Tear off with a scraper.
- Rinse off with solvent.
Wherein water-based paint usually removed with a soapy solution, and the oil is not removed in this way.
Several factors influence the choice of the method to be used in a particular case:
- The type of surface where the paint was applied, and the type of coating that is supposed to be created on it.
- Type of tools for removing old coatings.
- The price of work.
- The type of paint, the number of layers of its application, its adhesion to the base.
The first three points can be determined quite easily, and the type of paint applied is not always easy to determine.
Tip: Find out the type of coating applied on a small surface area, starting with not too laborious methods, counting on the worst case scenario: using oil paint on a concrete non-plastered base.
Tools
When conducting work on cleaning the surface of paint you will need to purchase:
- A grinder with a nozzle.
- Spatulas of different sizes.
- Chisels, convenient scrapers and other tools that remove or stain the paint from the wall.
- Electric drill or hammer drill.
- Hatchet.
- Chemical coating solvents.
- Construction hair dryer.
- Pure water.
How to remove paint mechanically
As a rule, the process of removing the old coating begins with this method.
Its big plus is the absence of toxicity, but at the same time there is a lot of dirt and dust, which should be carried out with the additional provision of human protective equipment:
- Respirator.
- Glasses.
- Gas mask.
With the mechanical method, the walls are cleaned:
- A grinder with a wide nozzle.
- An electric drill with special nozzles.
- With a hammer or a small hatchet.
- Chisel.
Tip: A less difficult and not so traumatic way, in comparison with a grinder or an electric drill, is the use of a small hatchet.
Instructions for removing paint with an ax from a concrete surface are as follows:
- He hits the wall with an ax, after which notches will remain on it. At the same time, the best option is when their number is greater and the length is shorter, which makes the treated painted wall quite rough.
- The wall is sprayed with liquid.
- The surface remains to absorb liquid.
- Again the ax is taken.
- Remains of paint are removed.
When using this method, there are no costs other than muscular brute force.
Tip: To facilitate cleaning of the coating, you must correctly select the angle at which the ax blade is tilted.
In addition to the ax, other tools are used:
- A lot of dust will be when working with a grinder. In this case, the ratio of the time of work and waiting is at least 1:20, where for one minute of work it will take 20 minutes to break until the dust settles, which is irrational and impractical.
- When using a drill, you can take three nozzles:
- relatively new, which consists of three chains, each comprising 13 links, its name is a paint pickup. In this case, the paint usually flies off in pieces, and does not turn into dust, under painting, the plaster, if any, remains intact. The chain also breaks down during operation, when three links remain on each side on it, the nozzle is thrown out and a new one is placed;
- crown nozzle and brush when working on a brick or concrete wall. The brush creates a lot of dust, although the effect of its use is also there. Paint with concrete is well torn off with a castellated nozzle, which does not create a lot of dust, it requires considerable labor and time, but there is a result. Such a tool serves as an excellent alternative to a building hair dryer: it is useless to use such a device for cleaning concrete - it cannot be warmed up to the peeling temperature of the paint.
- A chisel and a hammer can get a good result. In this case, the first is applied to the working surface on the wall and you need to hammer it. This is a long, dirty, and most importantly requires a large number of chisels, when the tool is dull, the desired effect will not be.
How to remove paint chemically
The photo shows the effect of chemicals that dissolve paint on a concrete wall.
Before removing paint from a concrete wall with chemical flushing agents, the type of composition is selected.
He can be:
- Alkaline.
- Organic.
Theoretically, the order of work is as follows:
- The composition is worn on the treated surface with old paint.
- Leaves for about 10 minutes.
- Application of the solution is repeated several times.
- After that, the paint should begin to move away from the base.
- The coating is removed with a sharp spatula without much difficulty.
Tip: This method is almost useless when removing the paintwork applied more than two years ago. The paint with which the walls were covered recently is washed off without any problems.
It must be borne in mind that the method is very unsafe.
When washing off the paint, you must:
- Use glasses, a respirator and gloves.
- The room is very well ventilated.
- Remove children and all pets from the room.
After carrying out chemical work in the room, an unpleasant odor is retained for a long time.
How to clean concrete with shot blasting equipment
The use of shot blasting equipment makes it easy to cope even with old paint. But the cost of the machine is very large, to use it, it is better to rent the device from a construction organization. In appearance and principle of operation, the machine resembles a sandblasting device.
The only difference is that the aggregate does not release sand, but tiny metal beads.
Wherein:
- Abrasive material is forced out of the nozzle under high pressure, which allows the concrete surface to be treated to be cleaned almost instantly.
- Particles flying out with the dust and lagging paint are sucked into the connected vacuum cleaner through a special hose. This makes the paint removal process as dustless and clean as possible.
Tip: When carrying out work, it is necessary to carefully monitor the process of removing the old coating and cleaning, so that the concrete itself is not erased with the paint. If neglected, the concrete surface can be severely damaged. Use such equipment only in cases of very poor paint removal.
It is not recommended to use the machine for concrete, on the surface of which there are already chips or cracks.
How to remove paint in other ways
In addition to the described methods, there are others that are more often used when removing paint from the outer surface of concrete:
- Water application. The liquid discharged under high pressure has the same effect as the solid particles emitted from the shot blasting device. This method is well applied for all types of paint, with the exception of some super-resistant epoxy compounds.
- The use of diamond disc grinders helps to quickly and easily remove paint from concrete. But this technique requires precise and accurate movements.
Tip: To prevent dents and scratches on concrete during operations, move quickly and effortlessly.
Using even simple equipment, it is necessary to strictly observe safety precautions. How to remove old paint from concrete, which method is more effective and other nuances of the work will tell the video lesson.
Tags: concrete, paint
