Remove paint from concrete window cills

[jacko555]

I have been removing the paint from our concrete cills. The majority of the paint was peeling anyway - I count 7 layers and mostly it peels away with elbow grease. Been using a blunt chisel and a wall paper scraper, then a once over with a wire brush on a drill.

However, not confident upstairs will be as easy - won't be able to get the same pressure on chisel or access.

1) Any suggestions on a tool or different method? Or just carry on with the elbow grease?

2) The surface is dry and not flakey. I am planning on just Sandtex masonry paint (as I have some) and no sealer. I do have a Sandtex sealer for dusty masonry but as the surface is neither, I think skip it. Agree?

 

[Tigercubrider]

If you're painting it again then I'd have thought smooth is good enough, so long as the old paint is stable

 

[jacko555]

I think it's been painted with gloss, or at least the most recent few layers are (the many layers of yellow). Under that are some green and red layers, that isn't a gloss, I think. Unsure - it's a 100 years of paint on there and the earlier layers are fairly archaeological.

Not sure how the Sandtex masonry will make of gloss as a substrate - I understand its not ideal.

The only masonry paint I found that can handle this (albeit a cursory search) is a zinnser.