Removing and restoring old paint on bricks with Dumond – Paddington

Men in White were recently tasked to paint the exterior of a house in Paddington.
The Men in White on site were Jay and James.

The paint was unsound and the best way to prepare the surface was to strip the old paint off the bricks to expose the raw brick surface.

We tested the four different Dumond products – #1 Heayy Duty, #7 Solvent based, SmartStrip and Smartstrip Pro.

The paint stripper samples were applied for 48 hours and the #1 stripped off the paint very successfully.

We applied the #1, covered and left for 48 hours. It removed it easily, and we then pressure washed the debris.
The debris was contained with a baffle and the waster water was collected with a wet vac.
The grey water was disposed of responsibly.

We let the bricks breathe for a week and then did a Dumond Ph test. The brick surface tested at an alkaline ph of 11 before the neutraliser application. The brick tested a neutral ph of 7 after the neutraliser was applied. The neutraliser is a dilute solution of citric acid that is applied to a moist wall. The reaction was accelerated by agitating with a broom.

The surface was pressure washed after half an hour.

We let the surface dry for 72 hours, and then applied a paint system of the Dulux Green Render Sealer followed by two coats of Weathershield low sheen Lexicon.

It looks like new!