There comes a point in time whether it’s your garage floor, basement floor, steps or whatever it may be, that the color just has to go. It might be old and coming off anyway or it might just be time to upgrade it so it looks more up to date.
Whatever the case, concrete paint doesn’t have to stay forever.
Removing concrete paint can be long and take a lot of effort, but in the end it’s definitely worth the change.
I remember watching my sisters neighbor redo their garage. I knew there would be a time where I would want to paint my own, so I kept notes. However I have also researched the latest techniques so we’ll keep up to date here.
The first thing you will need to do is get some type of good floor degreaser. You should be able to find this at your local hardware store or on the Internet. Follow instructions and clean the floor with your degreaser. Our hardware store recommends TSP which is tri-sodium phosphate. Then you can use just plain hot water to rinse it off with and make sure you have gotten all of the dirt and grime up. If you don’t get it all up the first time you might have to repeat the process.
Always when using chemicals of any kind make sure you have windows open and fans blowing. You may want to buy a mask for your face (recommended) to make sure you are doing this in a healthy way. Chemicals can be toxic and deadly! Your hardware store or Internet should also carry these. I’d buy the best one and then you will have it for future projects. Your health is most important, so don’t mind yourself spending a few extra dollars on this.
Second you’ll need a paint stripper. There are different kinds of chemical paint strippers out there, so make sure you buy one that is specifically for concrete paint. Make sure you read the directions entirely! Don’t just start dumping it. They are dangerous as well as flammable. You want to watch for pilot lights or anything else that may start an explosion. Make sure you, or no one else smokes around the working area or nearby.
You can then start applying the stripper. For best results to a section at a time. Get a long handled putty knife to scrape the paint after it has saturated according to directions. Make sure you have something that you can properly dispose the paint shavings in. You might ask local contractors what they use or your hardware store. You should also contact your waste management team or city to see where you need to dispose of the debris.
You should be able to work rather quickly from section to section unless you have several coats of paint. You might have to repeat the process, if this is the case. You can also purchase wire brooms to help you with getting up final residue. As you are working put the residue in your bag or container so you don’t have a lot to sweep up. This will also help you see what you are doing better.
After you have all of the strips cleaned up off of the floor, it’s time to rinse. You can do what my neighbor did if you are in your garage and rent a power-washer or you can just use a regular hose and use a regular broom to swoosh the water out of your garage.
Now you need to go back to your first step and clean the flooring again with the TSP. Let it dry thoroughly. Now you are done! You can leave it if you like it or repaint it.
Please Note: There are certain preparation steps before you repaint, so make sure you do your research on that.
Sources:
Observing
Interviewing Hardware Store Manager / Enyarts Rochester IN
