Paint Removal

How do we remove paint?

To remove paint, we use two different methods; Peel Away or grinding.

The Peel Away system is a specially formulated paint remover that allows it to remove multiple layers of paint in one application while being non-toxic (including non-toxic fumes), making suitable for working in public areas. Once the Peel Away product (paste like in it’s consistency) has been applied and has been able to set under the laminated paper sheeting, the paint should simply be able to be removed by hand before any remnants can be pressure washed away.

Grinding is used generally in areas where the Peel Away has not been able to fully remove the paintwork, Peel Away is not viable or simply as a finishing element of the paint removal process to remove any small pieces of remaining paint.

Safety is very important when grinding and full precautions are always undertaken during grinding, including the us of full PPE and the appropriate HEPA rated vacuum to absorb any dust generated in the grinding process.

Peel Away, grinding or regular paint strippers?

As bricks are a naturally porous building material, they can absorb a large amount of paint that is generally hard to remove.

Regular paint strippers are generally caustic or solvent based and work to remove paint by breaking down the chemical bond of the paint or breaking the bond between the paint and it’s applied surface respectively.

Although effective, these methods are not generally safe for public areas compared to Peel Away that is non-toxic.

If used in combination with a hot water pressure cleaner however, less paint stripper is required to be used and can be undertaken safely as it is only to be used to loosen the paint and the hot water removes it, which heavily dilutes any remaining toxic properties of the paint stripper.

Grinding paint is a not usually considered as the first option and is only used in circumstances where paint is proving difficult to remove, this is due to the extra labour required to undertake this process.

Grinding can be used after Peel Away however as the finishing step to remove any last remaining areas of paint to achieve the best possible finish when required.

What would the finish look like?

Take a look at some of our paint removal works.

Lotteries House, Lyric Theatre and Fmr. Commonwealth Bank projects

On all three of these projects, we were required to use our paint removal processes to remove the paint applied over the brickwork to allow for the tuck/mortar pointing to start.

We used a combination of the Peel Away system and grinding to achieve the right surface before the tuck pointing was applied on the Lotteries House and Lyric Theatre, while the Fmr. Commonwealth Bank we used a hot wash gun to help remove the paint.

To find out more about these projects, visit the links below.

Our works blog

Visit our works blog to see what we’ve been up to recently!