Old Paint On Granite Foundation

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A few years ago we bought an old farm with a big old leaky house built in 1891. We've been carefully repairing and restoring the house, modernizing, but keeping the historic and structural integrity as much as possible.

Over the years, the people who painted the outside of our house never used any kind of a drop cloth. As a result there is an incredible amount of accumulated paint dropped and splattered all over the beautiful granite foundation. I'll bet every kind of paint that has ever been made is on that foundation. The foundation is made from rocks of Lovingston Granite, which is one of the hardest rocks in the world. All of the sills are in excellent shape. The previous painters also splattered paint onto the sidewalks adjacent to the house, on the steps and on back porch.

I have tried every conceivable method I can think of to remove the paint from the foundation rocks and sidewalk concrete. Nothing has worked. That old paint just doesn't want to come off. I've tried numerous paint removers, paint strippers, acids, brushes, propane torches -- you name it, I've probably tried it. I've made putty mixtures, tried Peel Away, and covered various strippers with plastic and so on. I even thought about using a grinding wheel, but don't want the granite to look new when I finish removing the paint.

At times I've been so disgusted I'v even been tempted to paint the entire foundation, but that would just end up looking like big ugly painted rocks, and the natural granite provides a nice and authentic look. Not to mention the trouble I'd get into with the lady who makes my lunch.

Sand blasting, power washing and steam cleaning are probably not viable alternatives, because such methods would either knock out or loosen the old soft mortar used to build the foundation. I'm always amazed at how well that old mortar mixture holds up. 110 years old and it's still in good shape.

So, does anyone have a sure-fired way to get all of that old paint off the granite and concrete? I appreciate your thoughts and help.

-- Ed (ecpubs@lynchburg.net), November 29, 2001

Answers

A heat gun will take care of it. I live in a house that was built in 1902 that was built out of heart of pine. The foundation is about the same as yours but has brick intertwined. I had to get a heat gun and slowly melt the old paint off. Its slow and tedious but is worth the time. My house is now on the State Historic Registry. You can either use an electric one or a propane.

-- C.A. Cagney (Puttingood@carolina.rr.com), November 29, 2001.

C.A.

Thanks for the input. I've become an expert in using a heat gun in stripping paint in this old place. I used my 1800 Watt commercial heat gun on the foundation paint. It was one of the first methods I tried. It removed a few drops, but I heated the rocks and concrete to where I thought they would start to glow and most of the old paint stayed where it was. I tried to scrape it while it was hot, thinking it would crinkle and curl, but no luck. I was also concerned that I might get the rocks so hot they would ignite the old wood sills, framing timbers and siding, and kept a bucket of water close at hand in case the wood started to smoke. The heat gun works fine on wood, but on the granite and especially the concrete, it just wouldn't budge the paint. I wonder if the rocks and concrete are dissapating the heat too rapidly?

-- Ed (ecpubs@lynchburg.net), November 29, 2001.


Ed, since you've got the hot-air gun, I'd try it again, but then when it's hot try a steel brush. Other than that, I'd try asking the people who listed it on your State Register, and anyone else who's involved in looking after old buildings - maybe start with state museums or Historic Houses Trusts or some such. I suspect the paint you're dealing with may be mostly lead oxide, and you want to be careful with that stuff.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), November 29, 2001.

I'm assuming it's rough faced granite. The paint probably soaked into it. It may be impossible. I'd try a sandblaster before I gave up. If you went slow and careful and used the right nozzle you could easily avoid the mortar. I doubt it's feasable but you could also do what monument makers use when they sandblast lettering into granite. Any areas not to be sandblasted are covered with a tape backed rubber sheet. When you letter a monument, the entire stone is covered with rubber sheet, then the letters are stenciled on it and cut out. The sand only etches where there's no rubber.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), November 30, 2001.

Thanks Don. I previously downloaded some historic preservation tips and techniques for removing paint from old buildings from the National Historic Trust site. It mostly addressed graffiti, and some removal suggestions from brick and marble. As I recall, I tried several of the techniques and the only one that even touched the problem was a mixture of stripper in a putty-like substance covered with plastic that had to remain in place for several hours. Something like Peel Away. It would probably work well for a few drops of paint here and there, but wouldn't be practical on 240' of granite that averages 2' in height.

I'll try the wire brush on the hot paint -- I may have already tried that, but will give it another shot. I also tried a couple of different sizes of wire wheels on my electric drill, but all that did was wear out the wire wheels and made a little dust.

You can bet your life that if I really wanted paint to stick like this old paint, it wouldn't. Sure wished it stayed on the wood siding that well.

Ditto on the lead paint precautions. I've been heat-stripping paint in this house for several years. Always use all the safety measures.

-- Ed (ecpubs@lynchburg.net), November 30, 2001.



Dave, I think you are probably correct in that the paint probably did soak in. The rocks are local field granite found on the farm and therefore the faces have not been finished and it is rough.

I've thought about just sandblasting the entire foundation, and repointing with an antique mortar mix. The house has seven fireplaces, one huge central interior chimney, two outside chimneys, plus a chimney for the fireplace in the old summer kitchen. All chimneys were laid up using the same granite as in the foundation.

One of the chimneys was covered with stucco and has a block-print design that was set in the wet stucco. The old timers' effort to look city-fied. But, the two other chimneys are exposed granite. I intend to repoint them next year using an antique soft mortar mix. I think the mortar mix would work ok in the foundation. If I can't get the paint off any other way, I may have to sandblast, dig out the remaining old mortar and repoint. Will definitely use a protective rubber sheet to keep the sandblast off the wood. Lots of work.

-- Ed (ecpubs@lynchburg.net), November 30, 2001.


This may sound funny but if you get some old yellow shellac or marine varnish and put it on the porous area and let it dry--then it will pull the old oxidized paint out when you strip it or heat it.

-- C.A. Cagney (Puttingood@carolina.rr.com), November 30, 2001.

C.A.

Now that's something I haven't tried. I would have thought the shellac or varnish would seal the rock face, but I guess you're saying the paint will stick to the yellow shellac or varnish more than it sticks to the rock surface. I'm guessing the paint chemically bonds to the shellac or varnish and when stripped or heated releases it's grip on the rock. Gotta try that. Thanks.

-- Ed (ecpubs@lynchburg.net), November 30, 2001.


Hi Ed,when my husband gets home i'll have the full answer but here is part of it.There is a paint remover same thing used on furniture that is really gummy you apply it just like paint and let it dry then peel it off.He has used it on the big stone fireplaces that have been painted and for the large stones that go over the window openings. I know its alot of work and you have to be careful or it will pull some morter out.I'll get name of it when he gets home,he does alot of stone work maybe he has a better idea.

-- renee o'neill (oneillsr@home.com), November 30, 2001.

Thanks Renee. Sounds like your husband has found something that works. I make and restore furniture as a hobby, when I have the time. I'm curious what stripper he's using. Most gel strippers I've used on furniture to hold in vertical applications haven't worked for me on stone. If he allows it to dry and then peels it off the stone, I'd really like the brand name. If he's had success getting old paint off of lintel blocks and fireplace stones, it must be some good stuff. Thanks for the help and I look forward to finding out what he's using.

-- Ed (ecpubs@lynchburg.net), December 01, 2001.


ED.....YOU CAN GET A SOFTER MEDIUM TO USE IN SAND BLASTING MADE OUT OF CORNCOBS OR CRUSHED WALNUT SHELLS.LOG HOME BUILDERS USE IT TO CLEAN THE LOGS.IT WOULD BE SAFER ON THE MARBLE AND MORTAR.CALL AROUND TO LOCAL LOG BUILDING COMPANIES.THERE MIGHT BE SOME ONE IN YOUR AREA THAT DOES IT. BUT YOU STILL MIGHT GET SOME DISCOLORATION FROM THE ROCK AND THE CLEANED AREAS.BUT THE GUY DOING THE WORK MIGHT BE ABLE TO BLEND THEM INTO THE SURROUNDINGS. BECAUSE THE COB IS SOFTER AND LESS DISTRUCTIVE/ABRASIVE THAN SAND.YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET WHAT YOU WANT.HAVE YOU TRIED COATING THE PAINT WITH LINSEED OIL OR MAYO.THE OIL MIGHT SOFTEN THE OLD PAINT AND HELP BREAK THEM DOWN.

CORDWOODGUY

-- CORDWOODGUY (cordwoodguy@n2teaching.com), December 04, 2001.


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