How To Easily Remove Paint From Concrete

Last updated Nov 23, 2023 | Cleaning, Home Improvement | 10 comments

How to Remove Paint from Concrete?

Concrete is porous, meaning it readily absorbs paint so given this ease of penetration, removing paint from concrete is not easy, but definitely possible. It would’ve been easier if the concrete were sealed prior to being painted, but sometimes the paint might have stained the concrete therefore may leave some color behind after the removal process. It also depends on the size of the area where you have to remove paint from concrete, but it’s safe to assume that this can be a long process. Here are a couple ways to remove paint from concrete so choose one that you think will work best for you.

Method 1 – Remove Paint from Concrete

Things you will need:

  • Scrub brush
  • Paint stripper
  • Hose
  • Soft cloths

Steps to Remove Paint from Concrete

  1. Paint manufacturers make paint, but most reputable ones also make products to remove paint. If conventional strippers such as mineral spirits and turpentine don’t work for you, it is best to get in touch with the paint manufacturer first to get the best stripper to remove paint from concrete.
  2. Once you’ve got a hold of the recommended stripper to remove paint from concrete, you will need to apply it to the affected area as recommended by the manufacturer.
  3. In most instances, the stripper should be applied to the surface and left undisturbed for a specific amount of time.
  4. After the stripper is set, use the scrub brush to scrub it off. This scrub action should remove most of the paint as well.
  5. Once most of the paint comes off the concrete, wash it thoroughly with a hose to remove any stubborn residue.
  6. If there is still some paint leftover from the fist cycle, let the concrete dry and repeat the process.

Method 2 to Remove Paint from Concrete with Soda Blasting

Soda blasting is a great way to remove paint from large areas of concretePaint stains on concrete completely disappear using this method, leaving you with a clean surface for repainting if necessary. Soda blasting is also an environmentally friendly way to remove paint from concrete, and causes no damage to the underlying concrete.

Things you will need:

  • Blasting unit (pot blaster)
  • Special sodium bi-carbonate
  • Respirator

Steps to Remove Paint from Concrete with Soda Blasting

  1. Wear a respirator
  2. Prepare the blaster
  3. Start blasting by maintaining a distance of a foot and a half away from the affected area
  4. If you’re blasting near vegetation or plants, make sure you don’t let any of the blasting chemicals get on the plants. Flowers and bushes will not be able to live through the high pH soda in blasting chemicals.

Tips and Advice for Removing Paint from Concrete

Instead of using traditional strippers, there are several soy-based gel paint removers that are non-toxic and environment friendly. Set the gel just as you would with the paint stripper and wipe it off with the soft cloths. One of the advantages of using gel is that it can be moved to a new spot and reused so if you have many paint stains on concrete, this may be your best option.

Another option is to use power washers, where the pressure from the machine removes paint from concrete, and generally works well with wet paint. There are other alternatives to chemical based passed strippers as well such as an orbital sander to remove paint from small areas of concrete or a floor buffer for larger areas.

You can find the products from the article here:

10 Comments

  1. We recently had an accident in the garage when one of our kids spilled some paint all over the floor. I may have to try your first tip to see if it can come off. I would love to have a clean floor again! Thanks for sharing this.

    Reply
  2. Paint stripper and a wire brush

    Reply
  3. Wire brush and paint stripper

    Reply
  4. Please help I live in Spain and the gloss plaint if peeling of the balastraders. Which are concrete, and ideas

    Reply
    • Your best bet is to sand blast using crushed walnut shells as the media

      Reply
      • I have metal paint splashes on patio slabs. How can I remove them?

        Reply
  5. Have read all the comments on concrete, but the replies are for walls and flooring, balastraders are ornate concrete fencing.

    Reply
    • I need to remove paint from a concrete arch but it seems to be absorb into the arches I’ve tried paint stripper xylene turps peel away 7, and 10 still no result do you recommend sanding or grinding? Its indoor around food prep areas what is the best way to remove it??

      Reply
  6. Our builders put an acrylic seal on our concrete floor, as we had no flooring budget and would be using our concrete (basically in its original state) for the foreseeable future. I went in and covered a good portion of the house with ram board…but something happened and it got pulled up. Drywall material, paint spray from primer and ceilings , and some weird brown mastic is now in every room of my 4,000 sq ft home. The painters also put down the red paper, which got wet in areas, due to flooding this spring, and now I have pink concrete. My house looks like a joke. I have actual footprints that say Reebok throughout my living room. What can I do in a finished space? I need to clean this up before the bank comes to appraise and close out my construction loan. And I have no money to hire anyone?

    Reply
  7. I’m looking to take the paint off of an angel statue of concrete. Any suggestions. Thanks

    Reply

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