Remove Paint From Sandstone Fireplace

If stripping paint from wood is tedious stripping it from a brick or stone fireplace can only be described as more tedious.

Remove paint from sandstone fireplace.

Heat can also quickly remove paint from wood but not from stone. Use painter s tape to mask around the mantle or any adjacent area that you want to remain paint free. Heavy paint coverage should be removed only with a commercial heavy liquid paint stripper available from hardware stores and paint centers. Sweep all loose dirt and debris off of the surface.

Dip a piece of steel wool in the paint stripper. If your interior sandstone surfaces are not on the floor such as if you have a sandstone counter top use a dry towel or a small hand held brush to wipe. My sandstone is quite old and crumbly so as time is going by it is getting easier to peel the paint but i am finding that the stone in generally is crumbling away a bit more. These strippers normally contain caustic soda or lye.

When working outdoors you can avoid the tedium of stripping by using a sandblaster but that procedure is too invasive to use in your living room. After spending hours on google we concluded that removing paint from the fireplace was indeed possible. Here s how i restored this fireplace to its original beauty for just 300. Tools for my fireplace refresh.

Remove everything from the fireplace and from around the work area such as fireplace screens and tools and any decorative items. Rub the surface of the stone with the steel wool to remove any residual traces of the paint. Continue scrubbing until all paint is removed. If you have a sandstone hearth or sandstone tiles on your floor sweep them off before doing a deep clean.

Removing paint will always cause some damage to the stone carry out a test patch first. Chemical paint removers can cause health risks and lead based paint is a hazardous waste. Paint strippers can etch the surface of the stone. With will get rid of loose debris on the surface and will make cleaning easier.

I find it easier to peel sections after a few days of rain but once it has started to dry out a bit then it seems to come off easily off the stone. Do not use acids or flame tools to strip paint from stone. Scrape away the softened paint with a scraper. Rinse the stone by dipping a sponge into clean water.

Re polishing may be necessary. Prepping the stone fireplace for painting is probably the most important part of doing the job right.