Yikes, don't tear down an original bungalow fireplace just because it's been painted! We have a 1930's fireplace that has also been painted a fleshy, peachy pink and we're going to try that 'peel-away' type stripper first: you apply the stripper, cover it with a paper wrap, leave it on for so long, and then peel off the paint with the paper...in theory. If that method doesn't work, I'll keep trying various other paint stripping methods. And if the results are ultimately not satisfactory I'm even prepared to repaint the bricks their true brick color, as well as paint the mortar a mortar color. I have many years of art training and experience and I think I could fairly easily simulate the brick and mortar colors/textures.

On the Cottage Garden forum this was just a topic that was revisited. SOmeone did that exact thing...repainted to look like brick. They describe the whole process. You might want to do a search.

The peel away comes in numbered strengths. You need to read the description and get the right one for the job. Hope this helps. Caroline

But bricks can be so porous, if they're not glazed, especially. The people who owned a beautiful old victorian across the street from my parents painted the concrete (or maybe stone, I don't know) window ledges white and it bled into the red brick on the house. OMGosh, it looks like a tipsy lady who put her lipstick on without a mirror. I can't imagine a stripping agent bringing out the paint from all those pores intact.

Whenever somebody on this forum suggests painting brick, I always think to myself, you had best be sure you love it beforehand, because it may be "forever" without sandblasting. And you don't want to go there.

Yes I did......or at least tried to. It was a mess because as was pointed out it is so porous I never could get all the white paint out. I ended up putting thinned out dark paint over it to approximate the color of the original brick , but I don't think it is ever going to be right.In this picture the top coat of a pinkish color shows up more than it does in person..I may still put some kind of semi gloss top coat over it.

Here is a link that might be useful:

In my previous house, the fireplace had been painted in really beautiful colors (I don't know if this was done to cover a bad paint job). The bricks were done in varying shades, and it looked awesome! So, it can be done! I wouldn't have the skill to do it myself, but since the fireplace was the focal point of the room, it would have been worth it to me to hire a pro. Luckily, it had already been done for me. I don't think I have a photo on my computer, but if I find one, I'll post.

Francy

I successfully stripped 3 layers of paint off our old house's fireplace with PeelAway 1, dental picks, wire brushes, water, vinegar and tons of paper towel and rags. In some spots, we had to use 2 coats of PeelAway1. Also used concrete cleaner after both coats of PA1. Our white oak floors were very very well protected as PA will eat some finishes off floors. When 98% of the paint was off, we used crayola crayons and tiny paint brushes/oil paint to dot over the remaining bits of paint that refused to budge. Once we got it as clean as possible and touched up, our final coat was a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits which effectively removed all residue and made the brown color of the brick just pop beautifully.

Would I go through all the work again? Yes. It was tedious, messy and frustrating work but the final result made it very well worth it.

If you aren't afraid of this type of work - strip it. You will most likely be so glad you did. Save the money you'd spend on more paint for some other repair your home will most likely need.

Oh, the colors we removed were coral, avocado green and a creamy color that had a green tint to it - all very ugly colors.

I did! It had three layers of white paint. I used a graffitti/paint remover made by goo gone. I dumped some of the liquid in a metal can used dozens of toothbrushes. It was a slow, but rewarding process. Needless to say, keep the doors and windows open for ventilation.

Thanks for all the helpful info. I am the new owner of a 1918 bungalow, and my fireplace had been painted with a thick tatty-looking cream gloss enamel! >:P Yuck! So I know I will be trying to restore it, but hadn't even begun to research ways to strip that stuff off! Thanks again to the posters on this site, I have answers!

Hallelujah!

Follow-up to my previous post -- I bought some of the aforementioned PeelAway and applied in to my fireplace yesterday. Left it on for 4-5 hours, and -Presto! The stuff works! It took off the bulk of the thick icky glossy enamel, leaving only bits in the little natural crevices in the brick itself -- but that was easily dealt with using old toothbrishes. The good news is -- it CAN be done! It will take some time and elbow grease but I am VERY pleased with the results! Thanks to the previous poster for mentioning this miracle substance!

PA usually recommends leaving on for 24 hours. I'd highly recommend sticking with that amount of time. You may find it doesn't work well in less time and you end up spending alot more money on numerous buckets of it. I've had bad luck with short times.

Happy stripping rosefenn!