Removing paint from brick

Question from Pam: 

Hi Jake, 

I have a old square 2 storey 1932 brick house. It is a white wash brick and the owners before us had painted it white. It needs to be repainted, can it just be scrapped and left or does it need to be painted? Also do you have any ideas for the interior, do we drywall or expose the brick? I know its a matter of taste.....just would like to hear your opinion. Thank you!! 

Jake's answer: 

Pam, 

Brick usually does not require painting. I have seen some brick that is scaling and a sealer has been recommended as a means to minimize future scaling. However, this is pretty rare. I would say you could go either way, scrape it and leave it like that or scrape and repaint. We used to sandblast painted brick to bring back the original brick look. This is pretty effective. Check out the paint before you blast it to make sure it is lead-free. In regards to your interior, I would leave some of the brick walls exposed, I like that look to a certain extent.