I have a front stoop and walkway that has splotches of latex paint on it. It’s dried and been there for some time and no product or chemical known to man short of TNT is removing it.
So my options are leave it be, but it looks terrible. Replace it all, which is a bit extreme and costly. Or paint over it. Is there a paint product out there that would match the color of a sidewalk so it looks like there’s nothing there?
Is the paint all the same color? If not, what colors are represented?
There are paints and stains for concrete that are concrete colored, but “concrete” covers a range of tans and grays, so an exact match is unlikely.
Check at your favorite home improvement store to see what’s available.
if you paint the concrete, especially a walkway, then you will need to repaint it as it wears.
you could pick a color that matches and spot paint it. if it hides the latex good enough then repaint the spots as needed. if not repaint the whole thing.
panted concrete may be slippery when wet.
you could try sandblasting, wire brushing (with a brush in a drill) to take the paint off the surface.
I’ve tried using chemicals specifically designed to remove dried latex. Doesn’t make a dent. Now, I don’t have the tools to power scrub so perhaps I just wasn’t using enough force on he sucker.
It’s sidewalk colored and it’s outside so I’m not adverse to painting over the whole thing to make it consistent assuming spot treating doesn’t work, but I’m not sure that I want it to be a uniform color throughout. Maybe instead of “paint” there’s a thin layer of actual concrete type material that I can spread across the surface.
there are concrete leveling material which is thin and can be tinted. it will wear and may be more slippery than you want for an outdoor walkway and stairs.
it is common to not smooth steps and walkways but to leave a rough finish for traction. paint is a very smooth finish.
You can get an angle grinder for about $30 (or borrow one). Disks are about $2. Just grind it off. If it’s not much paint, you could use a dremmel.
A heat gun and a scraper followed up with a high pressure wash will remove most of it but it is very tedious. I just painted mine a light gray, I have to repaint every couple of years and sometimes touch up if I slide something across it.
How thick are the splotches? If the texture of the concrete shows through, you might be best off getting some exterior grade silver or grey spray paint and going over it. That has the benefit of being cheap enough that you can buy one can and spray it every year or so for quite a while for the cost of a few dollars.
If it’s thick enough that it’s on top of the texture, as others have said, you might be best off knocking it down with an abrasive. Either an angle grinder or even just a sanding block and some elbow grease so you don’t gouge the concrete.
Have you tried a pressure washer?
Just a note, sand paper or sanding block over concrete is going to disintegrate fast.
Do you have a drill? You could try something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Forney-60053-Mounted-Grinding-2-Inch-/dp/B003X5OJ4M/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1411580205&sr=1-9&keywords=drill+grinder
A wire brush, either manual or on a drill might work as well. If the OP has an air compressor you can pick up dirt cheap sand blaster attachments that are essentially just nozzles that suck sand out of a bucket and spray it wherever you’re pointing.
I’ll look into those options next time I’m in Lowe’s or Home Depot. It’s definitely food for thought. Elbow grease alone just isn’t cutting it, as I’ve already gone through a micro-scrubby, wire scrubby, and sand paper without making a difference in the paint on the ground. It just rips them all to shreds.
Time for something more mechanical. I have a drill so looking into a dremel type attachment might be the best option to start with.
Can you get some non-skid traction strips and lay them down so as to cover the splotches and still look like you’re just enhancing the safety of the steps?
for a 1/4" or 3/8" drill you can get a 3" diameter wire brush that is god for rust or paint removal.
wear eye protection, safety goggles not just eyeglasses (which can get scratched without goggles).
Have you tried some of the non-environmentally friendly, cancer and death-causing gel paint strippers, containing methylene chloride? May not be available in all states, actually - but that stuff should remove just about any type of coating no matter how old. Definitely follow the safety directions on the can if you do; you can get an extremely nasty chemical burn from it and you really don’t want to be breathing those vapors.
Better alternative than re-painting the steps; as others have pointed out you’ll be creating an ongoing maintenance issue.
I like kayladad99’s idea of covering them with traction strips, if that would work. Or outdoor carpeting.
I think it’s Sherwin/Williams who can color match from a phone picture. Personally, I would buy some generic grey add some ‘texture’ to make it not slippery. And paint it.
Well, since it was bumped, whadja end up doing, Enderw24?
There’s paint with grit in it for non-slip. When you visit Home Depot, look for this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sure-Step-1-gal-Acrylic-Gray-Pearl-Anti-Slip-Interior-Exterior-Concrete-Coating-SU-0308/100672147?MERCH=REC--PIPHorizontal2_rr--100672153--100672147--N
While grinding it off is a more permanent solution, you’ll leave a slight divot and a lighter spot where you’ve exposed new concrete.
I didn’t realize I bumped a thread. How weird. Sorry guys.
Even so, for the benefit of anyone that might stumble upon this in the future…a pressure washer may very well do the trick. With the nozzle set narrow enough, you can take out chunks of asphalt, even with a consumer level pressure washer from Home Depot. If you have one/can borrow one/want an excuse to buy one, it might work.
[ETA; looks like I (and HBDC) already suggested it upthread]
