Removing Paint Stains from Brick Wall

Q. My 30 yr old home has a brick exterior first floor and aluminum siding on the second. Over the years, in some areas, the white paint has chalked and stained the brick below. I would not say the brick is hard, more like a used brick. Is there a way to remove, or at least lighten considerably, this white stain on the red brick? I imagine I am not alone with this problem.

A. Solutions include scraping heavy deposits of paint off the brick, wire brushing the rest of the solid paint off the brick, and burning the residue off the brick with a torch, heat gun or Bernzomatic flame. Solvents are not good for this purpose because they turn the residue into liquid paint and soak more deeply into the brick.

The goal is to remove the residue while still in the solid form. The last item is to power wash the brick with high pressure (1000-2500 psi) with a concrete floor cleaner material mixed with the hot water of the pressure washer.

I recommend that the brick be professionally sealed to minimize future staining and primarily to limit water and moisture saturation. Water in the brick causes freeze damage in the winter and spalling or poching of the brick face off the house. A good penetrating sealer like Pro Treat is great with a top surface sealer applied too. Learn more about our brick sealing service.

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