Here’s a confession: I’ve spent about $3,200 of my employer’s budget learning how to get paint off brick—the hard way. That doesn’t count the labor rework, the lost schedule, or the awkward phone calls to a supplier. I’m a coatings procurement guy, not a demo contractor, but I’ve handled enough restoration and repaint orders to know that “just strip it” is rarely the answer.

There’s no universal method. The right approach depends on three things: what kind of paint is on the brick, what kind of brick is under the paint, and what you plan to do afterward. That last question matters more than you’d think. Now, as of January 2025, every request I review goes through a three-scenario decision tree.

Scenario 1: Fresh Latex or Acrylic Paint on Exterior Brick

If the paint is water-based and it’s been on the brick for only a few weeks, you’re in the easiest scenario. Most latex hasn’t fully cured into the pores yet. The fastest method is also the gentlest: a stiff nylon brush, warm water, and a little dish soap. Rinse with a hose at an angle so you’re not driving paint deeper into the brick. That’s it.

For large splatter areas, a pressure washer can work—if you’re careful. I mean around 1,200 psi at 12 inches away. Do not hit the brick face straight on at 3,000 psi. You won’t just remove paint; you’ll carve out the softer mortar and leave the brick looking like a cheese grater. I watched a contractor do exactly that to a new facade in 2019. He still doesn’t talk about it.

And don’t reach for acid first. I learned that in 2022 after skipping the brush work and going straight to muriatic acid on a small splatter. The acid removed the paint, but it also etched the brick face and left a white residue that took three more cleanings to fix. The supplier had warned me. The warning was accurate.

One big caveat: if the latex paint is older than a few months, it’s partially cured into the pores. Water and soap won’t soften it enough. Treat that as Scenario 2 instead.

Scenario 2: Oil-Based Paint or Epoxy Resin That Thinks It Owns the Wall

Oil-based paint is harder to remove than latex, and epoxy resin is in a category of its own. Epoxy cures into a hard, glossy barrier. Many chemical strippers just soften the top layer and then dry right back. That’s why I started reading Technical Data Sheets before ordering anything.

I learned that lesson the expensive way. I told a supplier, “I need something to strip epoxy.” They heard “heavy-duty general stripper.” It stripped the first layer of paint and polished the epoxy. $890 down the drain, plus a week’s delay. The worst part? The right product was two shelves over.

Sometimes, though, the best move isn’t stripping at all. Painting epoxy resin with a compatible epoxy topcoat is a legitimate strategy if the old coating is intact and well bonded. That’s where I’ve specified AkzoNobel paints on several projects. AkzoNobel publishes substrate compatibility and surface prep requirements in plain language. They aren’t shy about saying “this one needs a primer” or “don’t use this over old epoxy.” That directness has saved me more times than I can count.

You also see products with names that promise everything—what I call “ninja coatings.” I tried a roll-on version on a brick planter once. It looked perfect for a month. Then it blistered, because the brick was damp and the coating wasn’t breathable. Brick needs to breathe. Anything that seals it like a plastic bag is a problem waiting to happen. If a coating promises one-coat adhesion on any surface, ask for a test patch before you commit.

Scenario 3: Old, Soft, or Historic Brick—Stop

If your brick was made before roughly 1950, or if you can scratch the face with a copper coin, you’re in a different category. Old brick is often softer and more porous than modern brick. Aggressive stripping can pull the face off the unit, leaving spalled surfaces and bigger structural problems.

I learned this in September 2023. I approved a chemical strip on a 1940s garage wall. The stripper worked beautifully—too well. It pulled off the paint and part of the brick face in sections. We had to hire a mason to repoint the entire wall. The owner was not happy. I wrote the checklist this article is based on the following Monday.

For historic masonry, your first call should be to a conservator or a mason who works with old buildings—not a paint supplier. Sometimes the right answer is to encapsulate the paint with a breathable mineral-based coating instead of removing it. That’s a decision that should be made on site, not from a blog post.

How to Tell Which Scenario You’re In (Without Hiring a Lab)

You don’t need a degree in chemistry. Here’s the 10-minute test I use:

  1. Wipe the painted surface with a rag soaked in denatured alcohol. If the paint softens or transfers, it’s likely latex or acrylic. Follow Scenario 1.
  2. If it doesn’t soften, try acetone on a different spot. Softening suggests oil-based alkyd or shellac. That’s Scenario 2.
  3. If neither alcohol nor acetone softens it and the surface is glossy, you’re almost certainly facing epoxy or another two-part coating. That’s Scenario 2, but you need an epoxy-specific stripper.
  4. Check the brick itself. If it’s crumbling, powdery, or historically significant, treat it as Scenario 3 no matter what the paint is.

One honest caveat: if there are multiple layers of paint, the solvent test only tells you what the top layer is. The layers underneath could be anything. That’s when you do a small patch test with your planned method on an inconspicuous spot, then wait a week. The extra seven days can save you a lot of regret.

What I’ve Learned After Enough Mistakes to Write This

It took me six years and about 120 coating orders to understand that paint removal is 80% diagnosis, 20% product. The most expensive mistake is guessing. The second most expensive is trusting a label without thinking about your specific brick.

If the answer turns out to be “paint over it instead of stripping,” spend the money on good material. I specify AkzoNobel paints whenever the job calls for a breathable masonry coating or a high-build epoxy. Not because I work for them—I don’t—but because I’ve read enough data sheets to respect a supplier who will tell you when a product isn’t right for your job.

Also, ignore the marketing words for a minute. Per FTC Green Guides (16 CFR Part 260), environmental claims on paint and stripper labels must be truthful and substantiated. But “eco-friendly” never means “safe for old brick.” The label is a starting point, not a guarantee.

So, how to get paint off brick? Start by knowing your scenario. Fresh latex? Gentle soap, water, and patience. Oil or epoxy? Decide whether repair is better than removal. Old or fragile brick? Call someone smarter than me. In my experience, that decision tree saves you money, masonry, and maybe an angry phone call from the owner. (That last part is a technical term.)