DIY: How can I remove paint from an indoor brick wall?
I have a red brick wall that was painted. I need to figure out an easy method of removing the paint without damaging the brick. Are there any tried and true methods?
One thing to remember is that these bricks have a lot of pores!
From what I understand, sandblasting works best, but requires serious machinery/produces huge amounts of dust and noise. Next up is "dry ice blasting" (pellets of dry ice are shot at the wall where they explode, and remove the paint). This is also loud, expensive, and can damage the bricks. You can also just sand the wall with various hand tools (VERY labor intensive).
You're likely to need a paint solvent to get it all off. Since the brick likely absorbed some of the paint, sand blasting will only take you part way there (unless you're willing to remove some of the brick itself). Here is an okay article on removing graffiti, but regard wall paint is thicker than most spray paint, so you might want to start with sanding (or sand blasting), then switch to the solvents.
Whenever working with solvents indoors, keep in mind making sure there is LOTS of fresh air available to you.
Citrus Strip _ Distressed Paint on Our Brick Fireplace.
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