# How Do I Remove Latex Paint From Bricks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-latex-paint-from-bricks/251572>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 22, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-latex-paint-from-bricks/251572 "2004-06-22T04:16:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JimMacMillan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@JimMacMillan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimMacMillan)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-latex-paint-from-bricks/251572/1 "2004-06-22T04:16:22Z")

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My neighbor just had his house painted. The painter used a spray gun. Some overspray (on bricks) was overlooked during cleanup. My neighbor has tried acid washing the bricks and scrubbing with a brush and water to no avail.

Does anyone have any suggestion on how to remove the paint? As I said it is latex based.

TIA  
Jim

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**Author:** ![beltbuckle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@beltbuckle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beltbuckle)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-latex-paint-from-bricks/251572/2 "2004-06-22T04:22:46Z")

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A good pressure washer should be able to take it off. I would go to your nearest rental store and rent a nicer unit. That, a wire brush, and some elbow grease should get you clean again.

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**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-latex-paint-from-bricks/251572/3 "2004-06-22T04:57:34Z")

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I’d use a telephone. If cleanup was part of the job, then call the painter back and ask him/her to come out and have a look.

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**Author:** ![Tess\_of\_the\_Derbyville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Tess\_of\_the\_Derbyville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess_of_the_Derbyville)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-latex-paint-from-bricks/251572/4 "2004-06-23T03:56:44Z")

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Several years ago I hired a professional masonry restoration company to remove the paint from the entire facade of my house. They used chemical paint remover and rinsed it off with a garden hose. I kid you not.

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**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-latex-paint-from-bricks/251572/5 "2004-06-23T14:31:37Z")

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Okay. What about my brick fireplace? No garden hose in the living room. I won’t use a pressure washer in there either. But the previous owner painted some of the bricks. When I repainted them, I dripped a little. How to get that paint off?

(I’ve tried Krud Kutter, which gets latex paint of nearly everything else, but it didn’t really work on the ultra-porous brick.)