Removing Masonry Paint from Terracotta Chimney Pots

[Dhenry]

Not really woodworking I know, but I have just bought a couple of what were originally beige coloured terracotta chimney pots that have been painted with red masonry paint at some point in recent time. Unfortunately the other existing chimney pots on the house that I need to match are beige in colour - does anyone have any ideas as to how to get the red masonry paint off whilst causing as little damage to the chimney pots as possible and still allowing one of them to be mounted on a working fireplace?

Plan B is to paint them beige, but has the house otherwise has a full set of unblemished matching chimney cans, that would be a shame!

Thanks in advance

David

 

[Bingy man]

Jet washer might work .

 

[Distinterior]

Sand blasting possibly...?

 

[Doug71]

Paint stripper

 

[HappyHacker]

I would be reluctant to use mechanical stripping incase you damage the glaze, assuming they have a glaze under the paint. Paint stripper sounds best. You can get sand blasting done with a medium that should only take the paint off but it may be expensive.

 

[Fitzroy]

A previous owner of my house had painted an internal room with masonry paint, we had the walls plastered but the cornice had to be stripped by hand. We tried the poultice type (klingstrip) and chemical gel type (solvistrip) from these folks Solvistrip Paint stripper for masonry & emulsion paint Solvistrip both were effective but the poultice type was easiest to use.

 

[Distinterior]

......You can get sand blasting done with a medium that should only take the paint off but it may be expensive.

Yes,....Wasnt one of the mediums crushed Walnut Shells that cause potentially far less damage...?

 

[Adam W.]

Sand it off.

 

[Dhenry]

Thanks all - those are really helpful suggestions. I’ll let you know how I get on!

 

[Fergie 307]

Yes,....Wasnt one of the mediums crushed Walnut Shells that cause potentially far less damage...?

Yes, used to use it for finishing the ports in cylinder heads. Dried crushed corn cobs used in US for the same sort of thing.

 

[Dhenry]

Thanks again for all the suggestions above. I tried a pressure washer, with a wire brush on the really stubborn bits of paint, and that cleaned the chimney pots up a treat although it did take a little time. Thanks again for the suggestion. It was quite odd - at first the pressure washer didn’t seem to do much, but the longer the paint was wet, the easier it came off.