How to remove paint from a concrete wall: 4 ways

Wall paint is practical and cheap. It is washed off from any stains, does not fade and protects the concrete base from moisture and fungus. But it is so ingrained in the building material that an attempt to remove a layer of cracked and crumbling coating turns into a real test. How to remove paint from walls so as not to damage them? Blowtorch? Solvents? Or a sharp ax?

Handmade

Paint is left only when the walls have to be decorated with plasterboard panels. It’s unrealistic to stick wallpaper or lay tiles on an untreated concrete surface. The material will hold out for several days, and then you will have to tear off not only the paint, but also the remnants of the glue or mortar, spend time and money on the purchase of new finishing materials.

In the house in which the repair was started, there will always be a spatula and a hammer, and some even have a small ax. The method is noisy and takes a lot of effort, but after such a treatment, the concrete walls become perfectly smooth and clean.

With an ax or the sharp part of the hammer, gently hit the paint layer, retreating 2-3 cm from each dent or serif. Beat too hard so as not to damage the wall. It will become easier to work if you first sharpen tools, including a spatula.

The paint, covered with thick cracks and notches, is abundantly moistened with water. Sometimes salt or wallpaper glue is added to the liquid so that the coating lags better. Apply with a brush or roller without sparing water. Leave the walls alone for 4-6 hours, so that the solution is absorbed and softens the concrete.

Paint ready for removal swells and peels off. Old finishing material is tucked away with a spatula and cleaned. It comes off in small pieces or large plates. Bare walls are brushed with brushes with hard bristles or coarse sandpaper. Be sure to dry, and only then begin to apply the primer and glue the wallpaper.

It is not necessary to soak the old coating if the tool is sharpened well. Recesses are made on the walls, and then the paint is removed. Ideally, if it was applied in several layers. The thicker, the easier it is to remove. Some use a hammer and chisel, but cleaning the walls with this method takes too much time.

Builders with experience who have carried out more than one repair recommend buying tools with rounded edges. They are more convenient than square and rectangular varieties.

The ax should be handled carefully, especially for beginners who first hold the unit in their hands. The tool may slip out, injuring a leg or finger, and repairs will be delayed indefinitely.

The nightmare of the neighbors

How to remove the paintwork from the concrete surface in just 3-4 hours? Use a hammer drill. A nozzle in the form of a blade, which is fixed in the "hammering" position, is suitable. Hold the tool at an angle of 85–90 degrees in the wall, choosing the gentle mode. To prevent holes in the wall after removing paint, you need to adjust the power of the punch. The tool must move down or up due to its own vibration. Gently knock down a dry or soaked coating, and to speed up the process, it is recommended to choose the widest blade.

An alternative to a hammer drill is a grinder. It removes even stubborn oil paint, which was applied directly to a concrete wall or a very thin layer of primer. The machine literally erases the coating along with the base, leveling it and preparing for further repairs.

The disadvantage of electrical appliances is the high noise level.Residents of apartments will have to negotiate or explain with dissatisfied neighbors, because it is impossible to be next to the room in which the hammer works.

The option with a grinder is not suitable if you have to remove the paint in a bathroom or other enclosed area. The machine raises a lot of dust, which does not save a respirator and safety glasses. Even in ventilated rooms with huge windows, it is recommended to take small breaks and spray water from the spray gun so that particles of concrete and paint settle on the floor, rather than hovering in the air.

Handle an electric tool carefully or invite an experienced friend to visit. Wear gloves and goggles, a purchased or home-made gauze respirator dipped in water.

Instead of a grinder, the walls covered with paint are treated with a grinder, which is not so noisy, but no less dangerous.

Minus of electrical appliances: they do not remove the coating from areas located under the pipes and in the corners of the room. You will have to remove the residue with a spatula or sandpaper. A grinder or puncher is used if instead of paint it is planned to clad the room with ceramic tiles. Walls after mechanical cleaning become rough and adhere well to mortars.

Fire attack

It was not possible to agree with the neighbors, but it is impossible to delay the repair? A silent and effective way to remove oil and acrylic paint - a building hair dryer. The tool is inexpensive, but functional. Do not want to spend money? It is worth asking friends who recently updated the design of the apartment or installed suspended ceilings on their own.

A building hair dryer warms up the paint. It melts, inflates and lags behind the walls. The concrete surface is first fired, and then the soft paintwork is removed with a spatula. It lags behind in whole strips or large plates, so work is quick and easy.

A blowtorch can also melt the paint layer. It is important to remember that inept handling of fire is fraught with burns and fire. Do not bring the blowtorch to newspapers, curtains or place the included tool on the floor.

Paintwork is removed with a conventional iron and baking foil. The equipment is set to the maximum and wait until it is completely heated. A large piece of foil is glued onto the wall and the concrete surface is “ironed” through it. The workpiece is removed, and then quickly clean off the paint with an ax or spatula.

The molten paintwork emits toxic compounds. People who use a blowtorch or a building hair dryer are advised to go out into another room or stairwell every 15–20 minutes to breathe clean air. Be sure to open all the windows and carefully ventilate the room. If you feel dizzy, stop working.

Chemistry: Pros and Precautions

The special paint removers sold at every hardware store remove the old coating quickly and without noise. Together with the solvent, rubber gloves and a respirator, as well as glasses, are required to protect the mucous membranes of the eyes and nasopharynx from burns.

Working with washes is simple:

1. Apply liberally to the concrete surface using a brush or roller. You can not double-treat the same area with a tool. Lay a newspaper or protective film on the floor. Try to prevent droplets of the solution from falling onto the baseboard and skin.
2. The paint will become soft and supple in minutes. Without removing gloves, brush off the coating with a hard iron brush.
3. If paint remains, apply the solution again.
4. Be sure to remove the remnants of the wash with warm water and a sponge. You can add a little detergent or powder.

Chemical solvents are toxic, therefore it is forbidden to use such products indoors.

Remove the paintwork with homemade paste, which includes:

• quicklime - 1.2 kg;
• soda ash - 400-500 g;
• water.

Liquid is added to the eye. The paste should be thick and uniform. The walls are greased with a blank, and after 12 hours they are scraped off with the remains of paint.

The acrylic coating is removed with soapy foam, to which salicylic acid or ethyl alcohol is added. Latex species will dissolve chloroform or dichloroethane.

Liquid glass can remove paint: it is applied with a thin layer on a concrete wall and waiting for the substance to dry, and then scraped off with a stiff brush or a spatula. Water-based coatings, which are no more than 2-3 years old, are removed with wallpaper glue. A solution is prepared from the powder, the concrete surface is treated and covered with old newspapers. When the improvised wallpaper dries, they peel off along with the old coating.

There are many ways to get rid of paint on concrete walls. They are not too complicated and costly, but require a certain skill. The main thing is to always observe safety precautions, because health and life are more expensive than a beautiful repair.

Video: an easy way to knock paint off walls