Stripping paint from Brownstone exterior

Hi there,
We have non landmarked, 3 story brownstone in Bedstuy, that at some point in time someone has painted over the actual brownstone exterior in “brownstone” colored paint.
Does anyone know if it’s possible to strip the paint off the stone? And if so if it’s expensive to have done?
The stone underneath looks to be in fairly good condition from what I can tell….
If not assuming we’d have the have the stone chiseled off and the stucco redone which I know is $$$!
Any thought, experience or idea’s appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

flembo

in Exteriors 8 years and 9 months ago

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tashia43 | 8 years and 8 months ago

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What color paint would you use to repaint it that would most similarly represent brownstone

tashia43 | 8 years and 8 months ago

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What color paint would you use to repaint it that would most similarly represent brownstone

jodie1028 | 8 years and 8 months ago

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The patience of a saint. My husband did our front exterior. I sometimes wish he had as much patience with me as he exercised during that project!

catboot | 8 years and 8 months ago

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Yes, with PeelAway1 and a lot of patience. But the paint does come off.

flembo | 8 years and 8 months ago

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Thanks @catboot! Are you doing the work yourselves then? If so what technique are you using?

catboot | 8 years and 9 months ago

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We are in the process of stripping the paint off our façade now. It’s actually not hard, just time consuming. Most contractors won’t do it though. There is also a lot of misinformation out there about which technique to use. Whatever you do, do not power wash it!

flembo | 8 years and 9 months ago

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Good to know! Thanks for the advice!

Arkady | 8 years and 9 months ago

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I agree w/ EJR – paint job was probably done to mask ‘fixes’ & you’d be better off just repainting if you want to spiff it up. All the usual facade companies can do the work & will strip & chip to some extent before repainting.

Augustiner | 8 years and 9 months ago

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You can patch and repaint the facade for $5000, have it patched visibly imperfect without painting (price depends on damage), or have it properly redone for $50-70.000.

I know a guy who does it for way less but he is currently doing my house and I can only recommend him (or not) once he’s done

flembo | 8 years and 9 months ago

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@EJR Thanks for the info and reference!

EJR | 8 years and 9 months ago

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Your best bet is to consult with an exterior contractor about the job. I believe it is very difficult, if not impossible, to remove paint from brownstone while retaining the integrity of the stone underneath. Even if possible, the paint is likely masking serious problems with the stonework and it will probably need to be redone anyway. I recently used Progressive Contracting to completely redo my stoop and clean the brick facade of my house and was very pleased with their work (http://www.yelp.com/biz/progressive-contracting-brooklyn-3). Are you experiencing any leaks or is your concern mainly cosmetic. If cosmetic, it may be best to leave it be.