How to Get Paint Off a Concrete Statue
Concrete statues can make a beautiful addition to a garden or front lawn, but sometimes those statues can start to look a bit shabby. Perhaps you once thought it would be a good idea to paint your concrete statues, and now the paint is cracked and shipping. Or maybe your statues have been vandalized, and you need to remove some unwanted graffiti. Either way, you must remove unwanted paint from your statues. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Scrub brush
- Simple Green
- Mess remover such as "Goof Off" or "Goo Gone"
- Paper towels
- Water pressure washer
- Chemical paint remover
- Soy-based paint remover
- Water
- Muriatic acid
Instructions
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Cleaning the Statue
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1
Spray the painted area with a household cleaner such as Simple Green, and scrub it with a scrub brush.
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2
Apply a light mess remover such as "Goof Off" or "Goo Gone," and then wipe it away with paper towels.
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3
Spray the statue with the pressure washer, focusing on the painted area.
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4
Use a soy-based gel paint remover on the pained areas of the statue, and let it sit. Scrape the paint off the statue.
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5
Wash the painted cement with a chemical paint remover that works on the type of paint on your statue (such as interior paint, exterior paint or spray paint).
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6
Wash the statue with a mixture of one part muriatic acid to five parts water after using a paint remover to balance the look of the statue.
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7
Buff the painted area with a sander to remove the paint.
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1
Tips & Warnings
This steps are listed from easiest to hardest, so start with step 1 and work your way down the list. If you find out what kind of paint is on the statue, you can find the remover that works best. The longer you let a soy-based paint remover sit, the easier the paint will be to remove, and it should just peel away.
Chemical paint removers are toxic and have extremely strong fumes. Only use chemical paint remover in a well-ventilated area, and consider wearing a face mask. Buffing the statues will change the surface of the statue, and the buffing can be difficult to hide, so avoid this option unless it's absolutely necessary.
