How to Remove Old Paint from Walls

Often, a situation arises during renovation when old paint needs to be removed from walls. Especially common are brick or concrete walls painted with oil-based paint, found in many old buildings from the Soviet era.

At that time, bathroom, toilet, and kitchen walls were not tiled with ceramic tiles, as they were in short supply, and were instead covered with paint. If there is a need to tile over painted surfaces, it is strongly recommended to remove old paint from walls. This ensures that the tiles will adhere properly and last significantly longer.

There are several commonly used methods for solving this problem, each with its own characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages.

Manual Mechanical Method

This method is considered the simplest but also the least effective. It involves removing old paint from walls using basic hand tools such as scrapers, putty knives, hammers, or trowels. Even if these tools are sharp, significant physical effort, constant adjustment of the tool angle, and a lot of time are required just to remove a thin layer.

Thermal Method

The thermal method is based on the ability of paint to soften under high heat. By heating the painted wall with a gas torch, heat gun, soldering lamp, or even a heavy, well-heated iron, old paint can be relatively easily removed using a standard putty knife. However, this method has a major drawback related to the thermal conductivity of the wall material.

For example, wooden walls with high thermal insulation properties are ideal for this method. But for brick or concrete walls, it will be ineffective, as heat from the heating device will quickly dissipate throughout the wall’s volume, resulting in only weak softening of the paint.

Additionally, the toxicity of paint fumes when heated must be considered. Therefore, protective equipment is recommended.

Chemical Method

This method works on the principle that old dried paint softens under special chemical agents and can then be easily removed with a putty knife and sandpaper. The modern construction materials market offers a wide range of specialized paint removers for wall surfaces.

The chemical method is quite effective, but it also has certain disadvantages:

• high consumption of relatively expensive chemical agents, especially for large areas or surfaces with multiple paint layers;
• high toxicity of chemicals, even if labeled as low-toxic. Work must be done carefully, avoiding skin contact, using protective gear (gas masks, gloves, goggles, etc.) or in well-ventilated rooms.

Electromechanical Method

The electromechanical method is similar to the manual mechanical method but uses various electric tools such as drills, routers, or angle grinders with special attachments. It is highly effective, capable of removing large volumes of even deeply embedded paint from any surface.

However, it also has notable drawbacks:

• large amounts of dust, plaster, and paint particles are generated during operation (a special vacuum cleaner may be used as an additional measure);
• high noise levels during use;
• rapid wear of cleaning attachments. On average, one attachment lasts for about 5.0 m², after which it must be replaced.

It can be concluded that no universal method exists yet for removing old paint from walls. Practical experience shows that combining different methods based on specific conditions and budget yields the best results.