To Strip or Not to Strip

The kitchen door steps of my house were painted an atrocious Carolina blue. The color didn't match the rest of the house at all. I think painted bricks are a travesty in the same way that I think carpeted hardwood floors are a disgrace. However, I also had heard that removing paint from brick was incredibly difficult, so I had decided to paint the steps black to match the shutters. However, as I started to paint, I realized that there were only about 4 coats of paint on the steps and stripping them might be an option. So, I made a second trip to Home Depot for a stripper (the paint kind). I worked for awhile but realized one can was not going to be enough, so I made a third visit to Home Depot. You can see the progress below. There's still lots to be done, but there's some nice brick underneath in great condition.