Hi, everyone. This is my first post here. I hope you bungalow restoration experts can help!

Just over a year ago, my wife and I bought an 1870s-era home that was significantly enlarged in the 1920s. In fact, there is really no trace of the 1870s at all, so we're basically left with a 1920s home, albeit one that has been renovated multiple times since. We're furnishing / decorating / renovating it in the Arts & Crafts style. This will be a multi-year project.

One of the projects I have is stripping the white paint off our original fieldstone fireplace. I've attached some before/after photos. The previous owner thought it was a good idea (gasp) to paint over the colored stones. There was also a faux-marble surround that I removed. That part was easy!

The photos show where I'm at with this project today. We added the custom Arts & Crafts-style mantle and ditched the white plywood that previously served as a mantle previously.

I've used the product Peel Away, and it works fairly well, but because the stones are so irregularly shaped it leaves about 10-20% of the old paint. I've tested Citrus-Strip in a small area, and it seems to work OK when scrubbed off with a brass brush. The problem is, there still remains some light paint residue that obscures the full color of the stone. You can see notice this in the bottom corner stone. The front of the stone is the full color, the side has the remainder of the white paint that is sort of smeared on in a light residue.

I've thought of sand blasting, but it's very expensive, not to mention messy. I don't know much about ice blasting. I do have a wire wheel that attaches to a drill, but what I'd really like to learn is if there is an easier and less messy way to get that residue off. I suppose I could find some dental tools to scrape away at crevices, but this won't help with the white film residue.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

The "before" photo of our fireplace did not make the last post, so I'm responding only to post the pic. Now you can see the point at which I started stripping.

It certainly looks like you've made good progress! For the white residue I've heard that you can use vinegar. I've never tried it, but it's certainly worth a shot! Unfortunately stripping painted brick, stone, etc. is a tedious, extremely time-consuming process, as you've discovered. There aren't really any "easy" fixes.

http://1912bungalow.com/2010/07/remove- ... -or-brick/

Thanks, Westvillager. We're in Huntington Woods, MI -- not far from you!

I'll try the vinegar solution, it's certainly cheap enough. Any idea what the best way is to apply it? Simply wipe on with a rag, let it soak for a while, then wipe off?

Hello, you're right, sandblasting IS messy and expensive, but WELL WORTH IT: When I bought my first home (a 1927 bungalow), the first thing I did on move-in day, was try to figure out how I could strip the paint from the sweet little fieldstone fireplace, which had been spray-painted dark gray (what a crime). I hired a sandblast person. He covered the wood floor, the windows, and the doorways to the adjacent rooms w/plastic. It came out beautifully, so I have no regrets about how much I had to spend; if I had a scanner, I'd show you the before & after photo. Good luck!

I'm making progress! Most recently I've been using a product called Citrus Strip on the paint residue remaining after the Peel Away treatment. I'm placing plastic wrap over it and leaving it on about 15-16 hours before scrubbing off with a brass brush. Then I'm scrubbing with mineral spirits to try to dissolve the remainder. Then I'll clean with vinegar and try to pick off the remaining spots with dental tools (if my dentist can provide some used ones). My chimney sweep also said the "Scrubbing Bubbles" product also works well to clean stones.

Lastly, I've read in an Arts & Crafts blog that 50/50 mineral spirits and linseed oil helps bring the color back on fireplace brick. I hope it can do the same on my colored fieldstone.

I've posted some updated pics. Wish me luck!

At this point of your process, this probably won't be much help, but I had the best success stripping paint off my brick fireplace using a two step process. First, I used a heat gun which loosened the first few layers. That got me down to an impervious oil-based, high gloss paint layer. When I tackled that with a wire brush, the brush came out worse for the wear, without any effect on the paint. After doing about half with the heat gun and getting stuck at that super-paint, I decided to do the whole thing with Peel-Away. I was shocked to find that the bricks that had first had the heat gun treatment came away completely clean with the Peel-Away. On those that hadn't had the heat gun, Peel-Away left lots of paint. I got desperate and did those areas with another treatment of Peel-Away. That was a bad idea, since the Peel-Away left a shadowy white residue on the brick areas that had mostly been clean. I tried for years to remove those, without success. So, in short, I'd suggest heat-gun, then Peel-Away. Fortunately, your fieldstone will be able to withstand fairly aggressive heat. I'm wishing you luck!!

Hi 64grace. Thanks for your message. I tried the heat gun method as well, with absolutely no success. I also made the same mistake of applying the Peel Away to an area twice and was left with that awful white residue. I've been scraping at it with some used dental instruments and have been able to get some off, but it's a slow, painful process. Tonight I applied some Citrus Strip over that area -- tomorrow I'll be able to tell if it works on the Peel Away residue.

I applaud your successful efforts to expose this lovely stone - and the new mantle looks great, You've obviously discovered some successful means and achieved these great results through much hard work. In my own experience the heat gun/peel away or heat gun/citrus worked also but also with much labor and time consumed. If I had to do it again I'd hire a sandblasting outfit with one caveat. Up here in the pacific northwest we don't use sand anymore on this type of masonry as it is difficult to control often leaving the details of original construction blurred. Instead the local pros used cracked hazelnut shells. Oregon grows lots of hazelnuts also called filberts. The shells are hard and durable and take off the paint without the detailing. I would not attempt this myself especially inside. Again, great job!

A quick update: I've found that I've been able to remove a stubborn layer of residue and clean the stones by applying vinegar, then scrubbing with baking soda using a brass brush. I apply the baking soda with a soft bristle brush to create a paste on the stones. After letting it sit a couple minutes, I scrub with the brass brush, then rinse off with water. It makes a difference and also seems to remove some of the leftover Peel-Away residue! I'll post new pics soon.

Thanks for the tip regarding how to get the white residue off. I'd tried the vinegar, but not the baking soda. Good luck on your restoration!

Hello, you're right, sandblasting IS messy and expensive, but WELL WORTH IT: When I bought my first home (a 1927 bungalow), the first thing I did on move-in day, was try to figure out how I could strip the paint from the sweet little fieldstone fireplace, which had been spray-painted dark gray (what a crime). I hired a sandblast person. He covered the wood floor, the windows, and the doorways to the adjacent rooms w/plastic. It came out beautifully, so I have no regrets about how much I had to spend; if I had a scanner, I'd show you the before & after photo. Good luck!