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Neal asked: How do I remove white spray paint from the exterior brick and cement floor of our house? It has been on for about two months. My 15 year old daughter used our house to hold up a mirror that she sprayed white. Due to overspray and not asking me first, we now have a line of paint on the brick and on the concrete floor. It has been there two months. We have used mineral spirits, Goof Off, Goo Gone and MEK to no avail. Please help. Thank you!
Spray paint is notoriously difficult to remove from porous surfaces like brick, mortar, and concrete. The fix usually depends on what kind of masonry you’re cleaning and the type of paint used, but when you use a product specifically designed to remove graffiti things get much easier.
You Will Need:
- Wipe Out Porous Graffiti Remover
- Pressure washer
- Clean spray bottle
Steps to Remove the Paint:
- Pour Wipe Out Porous Graffiti Remover into a clean spray bottle. To ensure you do not inadvertently mix chemicals, make sure the bottle is clean.
- Spray Wipe Out over the paint to be removed.
- Wait 15-20 minutes in warm weather, longer in cold. The paint will begin to dissolve on contact with the Wipe Out.
- Pressure wash the area at 1500-2000 psi. For best results, use hot water.
- Repeat if needed.
Additional Tips and Advice
- One quart of Wipe Out will clean approximately 25 square feet of graffiti, depending on how thick the paint layers are.
- Another option is to use paint thinner. Be sure to wear safety gear, eye protection in particular, and scrub with a nylon bristled brush until clean. This option will be labor intensive.
- Do not use acids or a metal bristled brush for this job. Either one may etch the brick, and the metal bristles could leave rust stains behind. If you intend to etch the brick, be prepared to do the entire wall (or building) so it will match, then apply a sealer to protect stripped/etched brick or concrete.
You can also use automotive break cleaner/carburetor cleaner, which is compressed lacquer thinner. This will get into to the pores to liquefy the spray paint. Have a cloth for drips, as the liquid paint/thinner mix will run down your brickwork and spread the stain. Be aware, lacquer thinner works best on non-porous surfaces.
I just used brake cleaner to remove spray paint from my brick wall and it worked wonderfully…It blew it right off and I didn’t even have to get my hands dirty.
Brake cleaner worked like a charm!
I tried to remove spray paint from brick using brake cleaner, but it did nothing. (I should disclose that the graffiti was blue paint on cream brick, and had been on the brick for many months. The best I could do was spray flat tan spray paint over the graffiti and then immediately “feather” out the paint using a nylon scrub brush.)
Wow! You guys are amazing! My nine-year-old spray-painted a giant “L” on the side of my parents brick house in a red, oil based paint! The brake cleaner worked like a charm to remove it! The little tube that attached to the brake cleaner can really help power it out of the mortar! I blotted it away with a old towel so it would not spread and rinsed it with plain water. It smells horrid, but the paint is out, and there is no damage to the brick or mortar!
What if the procedure does not work? Then, is there another easy, less expensive way to remove the spray paint????
How to remove white spray paint from smooth indoor concrete?
Mikimi,
You can use the same product, but instead of pressure washing, use a scrub brush to work the product into the pores of the concrete. Then, mop the area several times to rrmove all of the paint and cleaning product. It may also help to soak up any excess liquid with cleaning towels.
Source: Dumond – Watch Dog Wipe Out Porous Surface Graffiti Remover
Hi there everybody,
Can someone help me, please.
My six-year-old son just wrote on an exterior wall (cement), not painted, with a black permanent marker.
Thank you.
Maddison,
A graffiti remover should work on permanent marker. If you would prefer a homemade solution, you can mix some alcohol (isopropyl or denatured) with a powder like corn starch or baking soda to make a thick paste that is about the consistency of toothpaste. Spread thenpaste over the stains, then let it sit a few minutes. Scrub the paste with a scrub brush, then rinse the area clean. This process can be repeated as many times as needed. Good luck!
Source: HowToCleanStuff.net – How to Remove Sharpie Ink Stains