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 so eats into building material that an attempt to remove a layer of cracked and crumbling coating turns into a real test. How to remove the paint from the walls, so as not to damage them? A blowtorch? Solvents? Or a sharp ax?

Handwork

Paint is left only in the case when the walls are to be decorated with gypsum panels. Stick wallpaper or lay tile on the raw concrete surface is unrealistic. The material will last from the power of several days, and then you have to tear off not only the paint, but also the remnants of glue or mortar, spend time and money to buy new finishing materials.

In the house where 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 processing the concrete walls become perfectly smooth and clean.

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

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. To put with a brush or the roller, not sparing water. Leave the walls alone for 4–6 hours to allow the solution to soak in and soften the concrete.

The paint, ready for removal, swells and peels off. Old finishing material hooked with a spatula and cleaned. It comes off in small pieces or large plates. Bare walls are ground with brushes with hard villi or coarse sandpaper. Be sure to dry, and only then begin to apply a primer and glue wallpaper.

It is not necessary to soak the old coating, if it is good to sharpen the tool. On the walls make recesses, and then remove the paint.Ideally, if it was applied in several layers. The thicker the easier to remove. Some use a hammer and chisel, but it takes too much time to clean the walls with a similar method.

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

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

Nightmare neighbors

How to remove a paint and varnish covering from a concrete surface in only 3-4 hours? Use a perforator. A nozzle in the shape of a blade, which is fixed in the “slotting” position, will be suitable. Hold the tool at an angle of 85–90 degrees in the wall by selecting a gentle mode. To avoid holes in the wall after removing the paint, you need to adjust the power of the punch. The tool must move down or up due to its own vibration. Gently churn dry or soaked coating, and in order to speed up the process, it is recommended to choose the widest blade.

Alternative puncher - Bulgarian.It removes even stubborn oil paint, which was applied directly to the 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 lack of electrical appliances - high noise. Residents of apartments will have to negotiate or explain with disgruntled neighbors, because it is impossible to be close to the room in which the puncher works.

Option with a grinder is not suitable if you have to remove the paint in the bathroom or other enclosed area. The machine picks up a lot of dust, which does not save the respirator and goggles. Even in ventilated rooms with huge windows, it is recommended to take short breaks and spray water from a spray bottle so that particles of concrete and paint settle to the floor rather than hover in the air.

Handle an electric tool carefully or invite an experienced friend to visit. Wear gloves and construction goggles, purchase or homemade gauze mask dipped in water.

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

Minus electrical appliances: they do not remove the coating from the areas located under the pipes and in the corners of the room. We'll have to remove the remnants of a spatula or emery paper. The grinder or perforator is used if instead of paint it is planned to veneer the room with ceramic tiles. The walls after mechanical cleaning become rough and adhere well to the solutions.

Fire attack

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

The building hair dryer warms up the paint. It melts, inflates and falls behind the walls. Concrete surface is first burned, and then remove the soft paintwork with a spatula. It lags behind entire strips or large plates, so the work is easy and fast.

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

Remove the paintwork with a regular iron and baking foil. Technique expose to the maximum and wait until fully heated. A large piece of foil is glued to the wall and the concrete surface is “ironed” through it. Remove the workpiece, and then quickly clean the paint with an ax or spatula.

Melted paint exposes toxic compounds. People who use a blowtorch or a hair dryer are advised to go to another room or to the landing in every 15–20 minutes to breathe fresh air. Be sure to open all windows and diligently air the room. With dizziness, stop working.

Chemistry: Pros and Precautions

Special paint removers, which are sold at every hardware store, remove the old coating quickly and without noise. Rubber gloves and a respirator as well as glasses are required to buy along with the solvent in order to protect the mucous eyes and nasopharynx from burns.

Working with washes is simple:

1. Apply liberally to concrete surface using a brush or roller. It is impossible to treat the same area with the tool twice. Lay on the floor of the newspaper or a protective film. Try to keep the solution drops on the baseboard and the skin.
2. The paint will be soft and pliable in minutes. Without removing the gloves, brush off the coating with a hard iron bristle.
3. If paint remains, apply the solution again.
4. It is necessary to remove the remains of the wash with warm water and a sponge. You can add a little detergent or powder.

Chemical solvents are toxic, so use of such funds in enclosed spaces is prohibited.

Remove the paintwork with homemade pasta, 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. They grease the walls with a blank, and after 12 hours, scrape them together with the remaining paint.

The acrylic coating is removed with soap suds, to which salicylic acid or ethyl alcohol is added. Latex varieties dissolve chloroform or dichloroethane.

Liquid glass can be removed: put it on a concrete wall with a thin layer and wait until the substance dries and then scrape with a stiff brush or spatula.Water-based coatings, which are not more than 2-3 years old, are removed with wallpaper glue. A solution is prepared from powder, treated with a concrete surface and covered with old newspapers on top. When the improvised wallpaper dries out, they are stripped 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 always to observe safety precautions, because health and life are more expensive than beautiful repairs.

Video: an easy way to knock paint off walls