Start here to clean that concrete!

Do you have paint on a concrete surface and aren’t sure what to do to remove it without damaging your property?

Whether you have a big mess from a recent painting project or a small one from a child who went crazy with a paintbrush on your patio, now is not the time to panic!

No need to stress!

Take a few deep breaths and follow these simple instructions on how to wash the paint off of your concrete, whether you have a lot to deal with or just a few tough spots.

How to Remove a Small Spot of Paint Off of Concrete

According to Houston Painters Pro, if you have a small amount of paint to remove from concrete, follow these simple instructions:

1. Sweep or vacuum the area that needs to be cleaned, using a scraper or stiff brush to remove debris or loose paint as needed.
2. Apply a paint stripper designed to remove oil-based paints to the surface area using a disposable cloth.
3. Follow the manufacturer’s direction on the bottle of paint stripper as it pertains to how long to let the stripper do its work. (this can be from minutes to hours)
4. Time to get scrubbing with a stiff bristle brush to remove the loosened paint, or if you know what you’re doing you could use a power washer for this step.
5. Repeat the steps as needed depending on how tough/old the paint in question is to remove.
6. Clean the surface you just worked on, making sure to remove all traces of the paint stripper from the surface.

For Those Really Tough Spots/Areas

For paint that is tougher to remove, follow these steps:

1. Get a few supplies together, including a methylene-chloride based paint stripper (make sure the area is well-ventilated), fine ground clay (you can grind kitty litter into a powder if clay is hard to come by), a stiff brush, and scouring powder.
2. Mix the paint stripper and the absorbent material to create a paste, taking into account that you might not need that much clay/cat litter depending on how thick the paint stripper is.
3. Apply a layer of the paint stripper paste to the area and follow the directions on the bottle label for how long to let it set before moving on to the next step, which could be anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. (If you have to leave it on for hours, we recommend adding a little bit of paint thinner to the clay every hour or so to keep it moist)
4. Scrape off the clay/paint stripper paste, repeating as necessary to remove the paint from the area.

We hope this advice helps you keep your patio cover looking clean for many years to come.

If you are in the Houston area and are thinking about building or extending your patio cover, then give Affordable Shade a call today. We provide free design consultation and written quotes to our potential customers.  Our phone number is 713-574-4969.