Nowadays, people use concrete to create buildings to make them stable and more substantial. Thus, it also requires more attention when it comes to its maintenance, such as removing paints. For that reason, Garden and Grass provide some information that will help you perform such a thing.
You can consider concrete as one of the cheapest and lowest maintenance materials used in building infrastructure. Cement, water, sand, gravel, or rock are the primary compound in making it perfect. When these materials are combined, they can come up with a workable paste and surely harden over time.
If we accidentally get fresh paint on a concrete surface, pour water, use a hard bristled brush with detergent, and scrub it away. But, removing dried paint from it can be a frustrating process because concrete can easily absorb the dye.
This article contains the steps to remove paint from concrete. Removing paint can be pretty time-consuming, but we can save time and effort if we follow the process step by step.
Essential Steps to remove paint from concrete
This section contains the steps that you need to remove paint from concrete. Each of them offers excellent help to achieve the best outcome that you desire. Below are the following;
STEP 1: DEEP CLEAN THE CONCRETE SURFACE AND ALLOW IT TO DRY
We should clean the area from any dirt or debris using a broom or a vacuum cleaner. Mix warm water and soap, then use a broad brush for scrubbing the surface. Leave our solution about two to three hours to dry.
STEP 2: USE A PAINT STRIPPER
After cleaning the surface, some paint may have already started to chip. Scrub as much as we can and apply a paint stripper to the surface. We can use mineral spirits. If this doesn’t work, we can use the paint stripper that is specifically recommended for concrete.
STEP 3: ALLOW SOME TIME FOR THE PAINT STRIPPER TO SET
The paint stripper needs time for it to be effective. Depending on the adequate extent to which the paint has affected the surface. Time ranges from thirty (30) minutes to eight (8) hours or more for the paint stripper to be effective. Please note that we should not apply the paint stripper in a windy or hot condition to dry permanently.
STEP 4: SCRUBBING THE SURFACE
We are using our broad brush to scrub off the loosened paint. Just continue scrubbing until no more color comes off. If the stain is Latex paint, warm water with soap solution should be enough. Note oil-based paints are harder to remove so that we can proceed to the next step.
STEP 5: DO THE SCRUBBING WITH A POWER WASH
A high-powered garden hose such as a power washer is used to eliminate any paint residue. It is helpful for outdoor surfaces like concrete walls, driveways, and walkways.
STEP 6: REPEAT THE PROCESS UNTIL ALL THE PAINT IS REMOVED
In case that we are not able to remove the paint, repeat the steps respectively.
STEP 7: CLEAN THE AREA
Once we have removed all the paint in the area, hose down the site to remove the paint stripper and other chemicals we have used. Dry the surface entirely and seal or paint it as you desire. By doing these, the concrete surface will be protected from harmful UV rays and improve its appearance.
Using chemicals is quite the solution for removing paint. But what if we don’t want to use chemicals in removing paint? Are there other ways of removing paint on concrete?
REMOVING PAINT FROM CONCRETE NATURALLY
One natural way of removing paint from concrete is soda blasting. It is a new way of stripping paint, and at the same time, it works as sandblasting but is gentler. In the soda blasting process, we will need a soda blaster and unique sodium bicarbonate. Wearing a respirator, we need to prepare the blaster and spray the sodium bicarbonate evenly throughout a safe distance to avoid ending up blasting off the concrete.
Do we need to buy soda blasters and unique sodium bicarbonate? The answer is no. If you have a less budget, we can just rent those materials in local hardware in our community. And if we are not knowledgeable about using those things, we are advised to ask for help from a professional.
Conclusion
Therefore, we conclude that removing paint from concrete can be a frustrating job. But following the given procedure step by step and by using the right tools, we will be able to make the surface of the concrete look new in no time.
We hope that you learn from this article. For further questions and concerns, you can visit us, and we will help you with that matter. Thank you, and have a great day!
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