Paint stripping cast cement

[TexasRed]

** UPDATE

Managed to remove a section of egg & dart without too much damage /breakage.

1st section of trim

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Although I didn't measure, it is closer to 24" long x 6" x 6". Must weigh close to 15 lbs. Did I mention there is just over 100 feet of this?

Inpatient me couldn't wait for stripper to do it's job, had to dig into this project... Got good results with a heat gun and surprisingly, a steamer worked equally well.

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Close up detail

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I am thinking I will continue on this path and follow up with a coat of peel away to get the last bits off.

Still need to fine tune my bucket of little tools for getting into all the crevices without damaging the concrete. It is soft and brittle all at the same time.

Any suggestions on repairing 110 year old concrete? There is some existing damage and expect some minor chips as we remove the 50+ sections. It will be repainted so it won't show. I just need it to adhere to the existing substrate (concrete? plaster?)

Isn't the detail wonderful without the multiple layers of paint?!

[Mick_VT]

It looks great!!! I would be tempted to use automotive bondo to replicate the missing pieces / do repairs.

Now you have the detail standing proud, if it were me I would paint this in a single color, it will let its beauty shine through. I think I might give it the first coats on the bench too

[Willa]

With PeelAway you absolutely need to have it fully covered with the special paper, plastic wrap, etc. as it won't work well if the paste dries out.

[Gothichome]

Texas red, old homes and impatience is not a good combination. How much time did you put into that much paint removal? Just curious. I would strongly suggest making a mold for future repairs. I sit here now staring at my plaster and thinking.

[TexasRed]

It looks great!!! I would be tempted to use automotive bondo to replicate the missing pieces / do repairs.

Now you have the detail standing proud, if it were me I would paint this in a single color, it will let its beauty shine through. I think I might give it the first coats on the bench too

Thanks for the compliment and the bondo suggestion. I suspected that might be just the right product for the repairs. I hadn't thought about painting the sections before re-installing. Great tip!

And yes, I will only paint this trim in a single color. The PO definitely got carried away accenting with the pink paint.

[TexasRed]

Texas red, old homes and impatience is not a good combination. How much time did you put into that much paint removal? Just curious. I would strongly suggest making a mold for future repairs. I sit here now staring at my plaster and thinking.

Good point Gothic. Guess I should have said anxious and excited instead of impatient . Haven't I heard restoring an old house is a true test of patience?!?

Just today the neighbor walked over and commented that we "must be very patient people", as they have been watching us scrape the porch railing for a week now. And no, we aren't even close to being finished yet

As far as time spent on the egg & dart; the amount shown in the pic was no more than 30 minutes. ...Still finding my rhythm and the right tools. I hope I can complete a 24" section in less than 3 hours. Hmm...50 pieces @ 3 hours =
I do think it's worth the time, the moulding is unique.

Making a mold - love it!! What great advice, thank you so much. We have straight sections and curved ones as well. Hope the curves are repeating so we will only need the 2 molds.

[Gothichome]

I have several molds made of our plaster work. You don't need any thing fancy. I just go down to the crafty store and by the kit as needed. As far as the time to strip one section, three hours, not to bad. Could be a bit of a relaxing task. Doesn't have to be done all at once.

[Mick_VT]

If you want to get really top notch on fancy plaster work and mold making, it was my family trade years ago. My uncle did ceiling repairs in many a stately home in the UK (some dating back 3-400 years), and did renovations at 10 Downing St. (the residence of the Prime Minister) a few decades back. Well he now runs a supply company for all things plaster - and can be talked into giving free advice too

[Texas_Ranger]

The revealed detail reminds me of our local city hall, built in the late 1880s I think. It's stucco over brick, heavily ornamented and has seen some suffering over time. During the last two years it was painstakingly restored and I was utterly amazed to see the difference! In some spots they'd slathered on up to 15 mm of stucco on top of the original layers, almost completely obscuring any details! A bunch of workers spent close to a year chipping away the newer layers with hammers and chisels. It's a huge building too, built on a lot with two corners so it's got three street facades. Four storeys tall plus a clock tower.

[TexasRed]

....Ta-Da! Finished this section in less than my 3 hour estimate.

Section #1

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Unveiled a crack or two and lost a couple of chunks (found and saved) in the process. Overall this piece went quickly using the heat gun and some creative tools.
Removing the sections from the house is pretty easy. Find the nails with a putty knife slipped behind it and them just cut them off with the MPT. (I can't imagine mounting cement trim with nails and a hammer! One mis-hit.... )

I've started the next section, which is a short corner run - not the same luck. Paint is thicker and simply difficult to get loose. Scrape, heat, scrape... Repeat

Section #2 close up

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Not as good of news on the wreath appliqués. Spent A LOT of time digging paint out of all the details - after two 48 hour applications of Peel Away. Still didn't get it very clean and I was starting to chip the cement. All the fiddling with it loosened it from the column -- with a little coaxing from the putty knife ...

Wreath - stripped

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Don't have enough time or patience to strip 36 of these right now. They actually come down quite easily and intact, with the heavy paint still on them.

Wreath removed

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Facisnating how they were made. 1905 equivalent to modern fiberglass mesh? Horse hair, of course. It is easy to see on the back side.

Back of wreath - horse hair?

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We will carefully remove & package them up to store in the barn for a future project or the next owner.

Back to egg & dart.....