Removing Paint from Brickwork – Perry Bar

As part of the renovation project on a large, red-brick residential property in Perry Barr, Birmingham, the front façade had been painted white and cream.

However, the owner was not aware that the property was a Grade II listed building and had no Conservation Area Consent for external alterations. When the city council’s conservation architects were made aware of the project they requested that the building be returned to its original condition, which meant removing paint from brickwork.

Brick that is over a century old will often become porous and fragile and a paint removal solution needed to be found that would not damage the brick or its mortar, so EcoLogic worked closely with the client and conservation officers to develop a best-fit solution. In addition, because the building was only three metres from the Perry Barr canal, it was vital that the process was carefully controlled to prevent paint residue from entering the canal.

Removing Paint from Brickwork – The Process

To eliminate the need for scouring methods, EcoLogic initially applied a biodegradable softening product to the painted brickwork to break the paints bond with the outer wall.

Once this process was complete, a chemical-free steam cleaning process was used to gently remove the paint. Highly regarded by historical building restoration specialists, this cleaning system heats the steam temperature to 150 degrees Celsius, ensuring that all paint residue can be removed without further scouring of the substrate.

If you need to help with removing paint from brickwork please contact us using the contact form below or call our team on 0845 680 2031