Bath Stone - Removing Paint

[hgliksten]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to restore bath stone on a Victorian terraced house which has been painted over.

I want to do the first part of the project myself by removing the paint.

I'll then use a Stonemason to clean and restore / replace the stone where it's been degraded.

Does anyone have any experience in this? What steps should I first go through and what tools should I use to avoid damaging the stone further?

I've heard that the DOFF works well on Bath Stone, but will that remove the paint or just clean it? Will I need to treat the paint first?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[a twig]

You won’t be able to DIY hire a DOFF machine or a Thermatech machine unless you’ve done the training course and got the certificate.

If you’re determined to DIY then it’s paint strippers and manually scraping and pressure washing off - this lot are pretty good for advising on what products to use:

Specialist Paint Stripper Manufacturer | Strippers Paint Removers

Since 1974, Strippers Paint Removers has offered market leading products that cannot be beaten. Manufacturers of the most effective paint remover and paint stripper, that leave surfaces undamaged. Browse our products today.

www.stripperspaintremovers.com

If you’re really unlucky you’ll be like me where some lunatic had painted a tanking slurry over the bath stone walls before applying three coats of masonry paint. While I could shift the paint, the slurry ended up having to be spun off with an angle grinder.

 

[Kearn]

You won’t be able to DIY hire a DOFF machine or a Thermatech machine unless you’ve done the training course and got the certificate.

If you’re determined to DIY then it’s paint strippers and manually scraping and pressure washing off - this lot are pretty good for advising on what products to use:

Specialist Paint Stripper Manufacturer | Strippers Paint Removers

Since 1974, Strippers Paint Removers has offered market leading products that cannot be beaten. Manufacturers of the most effective paint remover and paint stripper, that leave surfaces undamaged. Browse our products today.

www.stripperspaintremovers.com

If you’re really unlucky you’ll be like me where some lunatic had painted a tanking slurry over the bath stone walls before applying three coats of masonry paint. While I could shift the paint, the slurry ended up having to be spun off with an angle grinder.

You can also purchase the softeners direct from Restorative Techniques, which supply the ThermaTech kit. Alternatively Stonehealth are the original manufacturers of the DOFF kit. Same Same, family rift led to a second company.

Send them some layers of paint to analyse in their lab for the cost of postage and they can tell you what different layers you have and what you need to dissolve them.

Do some test areas. Cover with plastic if it’s likely rain otherwise it will wash off. In needs a couple of days swell time normally, might need a second coat. Or if you have different layers, then you’ll need to get one layer off before softening and removing the next. Limewash won’t come off, and rightly so, it just need topping up with new layers.

You could then try with a pressure washer, including cheap heated ones. You might have some success.

Both suppliers as @a twig said, run a training and accreditation programme, with yearly updates and servicing etc. They can provide you with local licensed operatives. However, their skill attitude and pricing will vary as always.

 

[hgliksten]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to restore bath stone on a Victorian terraced house which has been painted over.

I want to do the first part of the project myself by removing the paint.

I'll then use a Stonemason to clean and restore / replace the stone where it's been degraded.

Does anyone have any experience in this? What steps should I first go through and what tools should I use to avoid damaging the stone further?

I've heard that the DOFF works well on Bath Stone, but will that remove the paint or just clean it? Will I need to treat the paint first?

Thanks for your advice

You won’t be able to DIY hire a DOFF machine or a Thermatech machine unless you’ve done the training course and got the certificate.

If you’re determined to DIY then it’s paint strippers and manually scraping and pressure washing off - this lot are pretty good for advising on what products to use:

Specialist Paint Stripper Manufacturer | Strippers Paint Removers

Since 1974, Strippers Paint Removers has offered market leading products that cannot be beaten. Manufacturers of the most effective paint remover and paint stripper, that leave surfaces undamaged. Browse our products today.

www.stripperspaintremovers.com

If you’re really unlucky you’ll be like me where some lunatic had painted a tanking slurry over the bath stone walls before applying three coats of masonry paint. While I could shift the paint, the slurry ended up having to be spun off with an angle grinder.

oh no, that’s terrible about the slurry! Really hoping that won’t be the case. Was that common practice to put slurry layer under masonry paint?

 

[hgliksten]

You can also purchase the softeners direct from Restorative Techniques, which supply the ThermaTech kit. Alternatively Stonehealth are the original manufacturers of the DOFF kit. Same Same, family rift led to a second company.

Send them some layers of paint to analyse in their lab for the cost of postage and they can tell you what different layers you have and what you need to dissolve them.

Do some test areas. Cover with plastic if it’s likely rain otherwise it will wash off. In needs a couple of days swell time normally, might need a second coat. Or if you have different layers, then you’ll need to get one layer off before softening and removing the next. Limewash won’t come off, and rightly so, it just need topping up with new layers.

You could then try with a pressure washer, including cheap heated ones. You might have some success.

Both suppliers as @a twig said, run a training and accreditation programme, with yearly updates and servicing etc. They can provide you with local licensed operatives. However, their skill attitude and pricing will vary as always.

So helpful, thanks. Will look into the training programmes

 

[LadyArowana]

Thermatech is what they proposed using on the building which houses Primark just opposite the Roman baths ( in Bath ). You can find it under 22/02699/LBA in the Bathnes Planning Portal
I remember when the work was done and I peeked behind the plastic shrouding, the machine looked much dirtier than the one in the document. Somewhere in my thousands of pix I have it and may have shared on the forum already.

 

[Kearn]

Thermatech is what they proposed using on the building which houses Primark just opposite the Roman baths ( in Bath ). You can find it under 22/02699/LBA in the Bathnes Planning PortalView attachment 18780
I remember when the work was done and I peeked behind the plastic shrouding, the machine looked much dirtier than the one in the document. Somewhere in my thousands of pix I have it and may have shared on the forum already.

Yep, they definitely get covered in muck. Worse still for the VorTech machines that are used for media blasting….!

 

[Kearn]

So helpful, thanks. Will look into the training programmes

It’s not for DIY individuals, it’s part of the package for trades who purchasing the kit. These aren’t hire machines…so you’ll need someone qualified who owns one to undertake the work.

Or have a go yourself with the appropriate softeners and a high pressure, steam washer