If you want to refinish painted concrete, you have to get the paint off of it first. Obviously, painting any concrete surface can be problematic because it chips and scrapes off rather easily. But, this does not mean that it is easy to remove all of the paint from your concrete. That is, a lot of the paint will soak into the pores and stain some of the aggregate, so it goes much deeper than the walking surface and never gets touched or rubbed off. So, while it is easy to pick up scratches in painted concrete, it is not so easy to remove all of the paint from your concrete. This article explains the best techniques you can use to remove paint from concrete.

Do You Need to Remove All of the Paint?

First of all, you might not need to remove all of the paint from your surface. If you are just going to repaint your concrete a solid color, whether it is the same or a new color, you don't necessary need to remove all of the paint. But, you might still want to remove the outer surface of concrete to create a more consistent texture. If you paint directly over concrete that has old paint on some areas and no paint at all on others, the new paint is going to dry unevenly. So, even though you're eventually going to repaint your concrete a solid color, it is best if you remove the majority of the paint off of the top of your surface.

How to Remove the Paint with a Pressure Washer

In order to remove the top layer of paint from concrete, you can use an industrial floor buffer to scrub it by hand, use a heavy duty chemical, or use a pressure washer. For most people, the answer is no-brainer. A pressure washer enables you to remove all of the paint without using any chemicals or scrubbing it by hand. If you want to just leave the exposed concrete color, using a strong pressure washer to get all of the paint from the pores is the most painless option.

If you use some light soap along with water, you can break down the paint that is deep inside the concrete. No need to scrub or use harsh chemicals. The work is self explanatory and it is not necessarily rocket science. It just might require a lot of patience, and you are going to get wet.

For more information about caring for your cement surface, you may want to contact a local supplier like P & L  Concrete Products Inc & Garden Center.