Removing paint from concrete steps

[dja4260]

The front steps of my house are poorly painted and is coming off. I'd like to remove the existing paint. I'm thinking about renting a 3500 PSI pressure washer to remove the remaining?

Thoughts?

It seems like the cheapest and easiest way to accomplish this task?

 

[Rolla07]

Not sure how it'd work on concrete, a friend used one toremove paint off an old deck and realized how time consuming it would have taken and pretty much gave up. Maybe if there is a product that you can spray to make the paint easier to remove?

 

[kd5byb]

Being my demented self, I'd have to suggest what Click and Clack would suggest on Car Talk: FIRE.

Any idea what type of paint it is? If its already coming off, a pressure washer may just work. You could try just a garden hose with a pin-point nozzle as a test...

thanks,
ben

 

[dave123]

With a new 0degree tip poor paint should come off or sandblast it.

 

[dja4260]

With a cheap 1700 PSI electric power washer I already removed 1/3 of the paint.

There is a overhang over the concrete so fire isn't an issue.

 

[widman]

3500psi is good at almost anything you should be able to get under it easily.

 

[3800Series]

Sand blaster or some paint thinner and a wire brush.

 

[demarpaint]

A good pressure washer should take it right off.

 

[abycat]

Don't take the cream off the concrete.

 

[dja4260]

Originally Posted By: abycat
Don't take the cream off the concrete.


Not sure what you mean, but I plan on sealing the concrete when I'm done.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: abycat
Don't take the cream off the concrete.


Exactly what I did to the basement floor in our last home.

The concrete floor was painted in some type of old nasty blue paint, that you couldn't walk on without tracking it everywhere.

I used a ~3500psi pressure washer on it and basically took the smooth surface of the concrete with the paint. The floor was in bad shape in spots anyway. It would come up like sand. Once I fixed the drainage issues and dried out the basement, I resurfaced the concrete with resurfacing mix, then epoxy painted the whole thing. It came out awesome and held up great.

 

[abycat]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: abycat
Don't take the cream off the concrete.


Exactly what I did to the basement floor in our last home.

The concrete floor was painted in some type of old nasty blue paint, that you couldn't walk on without tracking it everywhere.

I used a ~3500psi pressure washer on it and basically took the smooth surface of the concrete with the paint. The floor was in bad shape in spots anyway. It would come up like sand. Once I fixed the drainage issues and dried out the basement, I resurfaced the concrete with resurfacing mix, then epoxy painted the whole thing. It came out awesome and held up great.


I bet it looked awesome! tons of work I bet. Your example is great for teaching people how to do a great job and get a long life out of your project. I have the same project but im going industrial ish carpet downstairs. gotta do a downstairs bathroom sometime in the near future so that will get vinyl.

my front steps are concrete as well but I'm going to paint them. The tops will get a nice blue grey deck type paint. has nice sharp texture bits in it. The side of the concrete steps are painted the same color as the house. I'll repaint that when i repaint house.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: dja4260
With a cheap 1700 PSI electric power washer I already removed 1/3 of the paint.


Try wire brushing the remaining paint and pressure wash again. As per a previous post, you really don't want to take the surface material any more than you have to.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: abycat

I bet it looked awesome! tons of work I bet..


It was definitely a two-man project. I had the help of an older, wiser, handier, brother. Once we got the consistency right, I mixed in 5gal pails, poured and my brother worked with a trowel in each hand to finish it. It went real quick actually.

I then used a product sold by my local Benjamin Moore Paints store for the paint. It was by Muralo. I believe it was Muralo Ultra Tred epoxy. Loved it.