How to remove paint from concrete sidewalk

[slackmax]

There is some brushed on yellow paint I want to remove from a sidewalk.

The paint is only 7 days old.

I've googled it and it looks like the thing to do is put a gel type of paint stripper on it and let it soak in for a few hours, then use a wire brush on it for a while, then wipe it off, and see if the paint is gone yet.  Repeat until the paint is gone.

There's not a lot of it, thankfully. Only about 3 square feet.

Anyone actually done this?  What brand of stripper is good?

I don't know if the paint is oil based or what. It looks like the yellow paint that is used on roads and curbs.

Oh, by the way, I already tried 'Oops' paint remover on it by rubbing a wetted cloth on it for a minute, and some paint did come off on the cloth, but there must be something stronger than 'Oops' out there.   

 
Thanks

[slackmax]

I know this isn’t helpful, but you piqued my interest: where did the paint come from? :)

Thanks for your interest, less4success.

It's an emotional subject for me. I'd rather not discuss it. I was thinking about this situation while at the grocery store and checked my blood pressure on their machine. It was 162 over 106. Pretty high. My normal bp is 125 over 80.

[BudgetSlasher]

In the distant past paint stripper and/or high power and high flow (think 3-to-4000 psi and 4 GPM) have worked for me on smooth concrete walls and floors.

Not sure how well they might work on a more textured/porous sidewalk. That kind of pressure washer is expensive, I would assume a lower GPM would just be slower; you can probably rent something for a few hours to a day from Home Depot.

Since this is emotional to you, if it doesn't come up you could try painting over it ... there are paints specfically for concrete though I have never used them. This might be especially helpful if what is painted is the emotional part rather than simply the paint being there. 

[slackmax]

In the distant past paint stripper and/or high power and high flow (think 3-to-4000 psi and 4 GPM) have worked for me on smooth concrete walls and floors.

Not sure how well they might work on a more textured/porous sidewalk. That kind of pressure washer is expensive, I would assume a lower GPM would just be slower; you can probably rent something for a few hours to a day from Home Depot.

Since this is emotional to you, if it doesn't come up you could try painting over it ... there are paints specfically for concrete though I have never used them. This might be especially helpful if what is painted is the emotional part rather than simply the paint being there.

Thanks. I'm going to go the paint stripper route, hoping it will all come off, since I don't want to attract of lot of attention blasting away at it.

You don't happen to recall the brand of paint stripper, or the chemical content, do you?   

[draco44]

Hi OP: I haven't ever needed to remove paint from concrete but was curious bout your question and started poking around for my own knowledge. One promising resource I found was a concrete trade association called The Concrete Network. Re. the paint stripper route, they suggest Soy Gel Coatings Remover from Franmar Chemicals.

This page from them also had more details on the removal process: https://www.concretenetwork.com/fix-concrete-cleaning/remove-paint.html

Again, I haven't tried this myself, but that page seemed like a promising lead. Good luck!

[BudgetSlasher]

In the distant past paint stripper and/or high power and high flow (think 3-to-4000 psi and 4 GPM) have worked for me on smooth concrete walls and floors.

Not sure how well they might work on a more textured/porous sidewalk. That kind of pressure washer is expensive, I would assume a lower GPM would just be slower; you can probably rent something for a few hours to a day from Home Depot.

Since this is emotional to you, if it doesn't come up you could try painting over it ... there are paints specfically for concrete though I have never used them. This might be especially helpful if what is painted is the emotional part rather than simply the paint being there.

Thanks. I'm going to go the paint stripper route, hoping it will all come off, since I don't want to attract of lot of attention blasting away at it.

You don't happen to recall the brand of paint stripper, or the chemical content, do you?   

Sorry, I can't say that I do.

[norajean]

I sure hope you have addressed the issue which led to the paint on the concrete. Otherwise it may promptly reappear and all your effort will be wasted.

[slackmax]

I sure hope you have addressed the issue which led to the paint on the concrete. Otherwise it may promptly reappear and all your effort will be wasted.

No, I haven't, but I am increasingly considering that as 'the best way to go'.

[lthenderson]

I think this will depend on how much of the paint you want to remove and how porous the concrete is. Most concrete, unless it is troweled to a really slick finish, is porous enough that probably no amount of paint remover and wire brushing will get it out of the pores. You can probably get most of it but might end up with yellow dots of paint at the bottom of pores if you look close enough. As someone mentioned above, I would probably dilute the paint remover (at least if it is gel like most I have used in the past) and let it soak down into the pores and then use a high pressure washer to try a loosen it up. Be forewarned though that concrete changes color with age and exposure and cleaning one spot (where the paint is) might leave a clean looking spot that will stand out for a number of years unless all of the concrete is cleaned in a similar manner.

[BudgetSlasher]

I had a different train of thought.

You refer to the sidewalk as "a sidewalk" not "my sidewalk".

Do you own the sidewalk(such as the pathway to your door)/in some way responsible for the maintenance of the sidewalk (such as working for building and grounds).

If someone else owns and is responsible for the upkeep for the sidewalk, such as the city, have you tried reaching out to them? Since the paint gives you a strong emotional response, I am presuming it must say/depict something hateful/racist/vulgar/otherwise offensive. The owner may have a good motivation to remove it quickly if it is that kind of graffiti and complaints are registered.

[slackmax]

BudgetSlasher,

Fotunately, it's not graffiti. That would possibly be even more emotional.   And yes, it is my sidewalk and I am responsible for maintaining it.   

 

[Morning Glory]

I can guess why the paint is there, and why there would be an emotional reaction to it. I used to live in a city that does the same thing.  Sidewalk maintenance is not included in property taxes and is the responsibility of the homeowner. They don't give you any advance notice, just spray your sidewalk and give you like a month to replace it or fine you $800 per square. There is no funding provided for elderly or low income people. They do all of them at once so concrete contractors all jack up their prices during that time. They seem to pick on some neighborhoods and people more than others. Some sidewalks that get painted have hardly any imperfections, and others can be horrible and not get any.  I would wash off the paint too, if the sidewalk really wasn't in that bad of shape.  They also fine you if you don't have your snow shoveled within 24 hours of a storm, again, no concession for elderly or low income people.

[GuitarStv]

Could you just get some light grey coloured paint and paint over the yellow stuff?

[slackmax]

Could you just get some light grey coloured paint and paint over the yellow stuff?

Yes, I have thought of doing that, but I think the removal process is going pretty well so far. I sprayed some EZ OFF Heavy Duty oven cleaner on a small portion of it and let it alone for 10 hours, and it took 90% of the paint off. Will try it again to see if the remaining 10% comes off. 

[slackmax]

Could you just get some light grey coloured paint and paint over the yellow stuff?

Yes, I have thought of doing that, but I think the removal process is going pretty well so far. I sprayed some EZ OFF Heavy Duty oven cleaner on a small portion of it and let it alone for 10 hours, and it took 90% of the paint off. Will try it again to see if the remaining 10% comes off.

Update. I attacked one portion of the yellow paint. I got 99% of it off with the Easy Off and a wire brush. 

As someone mentioned, there is now a lighter colored sidewalk where I removed the paint, which is OK.

It looks like I wore off some sort of coating with the wire brush since the concrete looks different where I brushed it. Little black specks that aren't in the unbrushed  concrete.   

I wonder if I ought to paint over the wire brushed area with some sort of clear or gray colored lacquer or paint, to protect the concrete from erosion.

Or is that just overthinking it?     

[lthenderson]

I wonder if I ought to paint over the wire brushed area with some sort of clear or gray colored lacquer or paint, to protect the concrete from erosion.

Or is that just overthinking it?   

I wouldn't paint over it. Paint will just wear off or peel with exposure and time. The newly exposed concrete is the same molecularly as the what you brushed off and won't erode any faster. If you really wanted to blend the newly cleaned spot in with the old concrete, I would add some dirt to the area and really try grinding it in with your shoe for awhile and then brushing it off. Other than that, time will make it fade.

[slackmax]

I wonder if I ought to paint over the wire brushed area with some sort of clear or gray colored lacquer or paint, to protect the concrete from erosion.

Or is that just overthinking it?   

I wouldn't paint over it. Paint will just wear off or peel with exposure and time. The newly exposed concrete is the same molecularly as the what you brushed off and won't erode any faster. If you really wanted to blend the newly cleaned spot in with the old concrete, I would add some dirt to the area and really try grinding it in with your shoe for awhile and then brushing it off. Other than that, time will make it fade.

Thanks! 

[slackmax]

Update: 

I went ahead and got a can of gray spray paint, blocked out the area, and sprayed the gray over the yellow.  Looks much better now.  If the gray ever wears off, I have plenty of gray paint left over to redo it.

As for the yellow paint I already removed, I'm just leaving that area alone. Looks pretty good.   

[draco44]

Nice work! Glad you found a solution you are happy with.