Restoring brick to original color

[Valley of Plenty]

I've got a section of brick wall on my house that a previous owner decided to paint school bus yellow for some reason. I'd like to restore the original color of the brick, and I'm wondering what the easiest method is to do that. I assume I'll need some kind of paint stripper and an abrasive tool. The wall is inside of an enclosed porch, so pressure washing isn't an option. I do already have an electric sander and an angle grinder; I know there are attachments for angle grinders that are I think made for this sort of thing? I'd like to avoid spending several days scraping away at it, but I also don't want to use something too aggressive and end up damaging the brick.

[ChpBstrd]

I suspect sandblasting is the only way you'll get the paint off of brick in an economical amount of time. If you already have an air compressor (or can borrow one), Harbor Freight sells an abrasive blaster for $170. After the project, you could probably sell it for $50, which reduces the project cost. Wear PPE when removing paint of course.

Good luck.

People all around me are painting their 1960's brick ranch houses black and white. They're chasing a fad, and they've turned a maintenance-free exterior into something that must be redone periodically. I do not agree.

[Miss Piggy]

A guy in my old neighborhood sandblasted the paint off of his brick house. It turned out fine. I echo the suggestion to wear PPE (especially a breathing mask) because, my gosh, the air was thick with dust!

[JLee]

I suspect sandblasting is the only way you'll get the paint off of brick in an economical amount of time. If you already have an air compressor (or can borrow one), Harbor Freight sells an abrasive blaster for $170. After the project, you could probably sell it for $50, which reduces the project cost. Wear PPE when removing paint of course.

Good luck.

People all around me are painting their 1960's brick ranch houses black and white. They're chasing a fad, and they've turned a maintenance-free exterior into something that must be redone periodically. I do not agree.

Agreed, sandblasting is probably one of the better options.

I'd also consider pricing out having a sandblasting company come do it -- the Harbor Freight sandblasters are extremely slow and unless you have a baller air compressor, you're going to spend a lot of time waiting for the compressor to refill. 

[Sibley]

Reality check.

You can't. Not 100%. Once brick is painted, you can NEVER return it to pre-painted condition. Brick is porous, so is mortar. You can strip or sand blast or scrape all you want, but residue WILL be left. If you get the residue off, its because you also damaged the brick. So, keep this in mind. You can get it close, you can get it to look good, but it will not and will never be perfect.

Also, be prepared to tuckpoint. Make sure you use the correct type of mortar, if its old then the standard mortars today may be too hard and cause problems down the line.

Good luck. I hate it when people paint brick, they're taking an very low maintenance surface and making it much higher, and its not really reversible.

[Dogastrophe]

People all around me are painting their 1960's brick ranch houses black and white. They're chasing a fad, and they've turned a maintenance-free exterior into something that must be redone periodically. I do not agree.

That should be a straight to jail crime.

I have a friend who says that people who paint the treads of their exterior (wood) stairs are not engaged in home maintenance but instead have found a new hobby.

[Paper Chaser]

Much faster, easier and cheaper to just paint it a color that you find acceptable.

[jrhampt]

People all around me are painting their 1960's brick ranch houses black and white. They're chasing a fad, and they've turned a maintenance-free exterior into something that must be redone periodically. I do not agree.

That should be a straight to jail crime.

I have a friend who says that people who paint the treads of their exterior (wood) stairs are not engaged in home maintenance but instead have found a new hobby.

hahaha!!  So true.

[GuitarStv]

Reality check.

You can't. Not 100%. Once brick is painted, you can NEVER return it to pre-painted condition. Brick is porous, so is mortar. You can strip or sand blast or scrape all you want, but residue WILL be left. If you get the residue off, its because you also damaged the brick. So, keep this in mind. You can get it close, you can get it to look good, but it will not and will never be perfect.

Also, be prepared to tuckpoint. Make sure you use the correct type of mortar, if its old then the standard mortars today may be too hard and cause problems down the line.

Good luck. I hate it when people paint brick, they're taking an very low maintenance surface and making it much higher, and its not really reversible.

+1 to pretty much all of this.  This is why painting brick is considered a war crime under the Geneva conventions.