The newly painted walls in your living room look beautiful, but the drips of paint you’ve discovered you left behind on your hardwood floor? Not so much. Fortunately, dried paint drops or spills can generally be cleaned up. Here’s how to remove paint from finished wood.
Act fast
The most important step you can take to remove paint from finished wood is to clean it up as soon as possible. Techniques that may take minimal effort when the drops are fresh may take a lot of elbow grease if you wait too long. So clean up spills of acrylic or latex wall paint as soon as you see them, ideally while the paint is still wet. These water-based paints can be removed fairly easily with a damp rag or soap and water before they dry.
Scrape what you can
To remove dried acrylic or latex paint from finished wood, begin by scraping gently with a plastic putty knife or another gentle tool, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scrape so hard that you damage the underlying wood. If scraping alone doesn’t work, rub the area with a damp cloth or some gentle soap and water, then try scraping again.
Softening the paint with a heat gun or even a hair dryer may make it easier to scrape away.
You can also try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Again, scrub gently so you don’t damage the wood’s finished surface.
An old toothbrush may help you remove the paint from cracks or spaces between floorboards.
Next steps
If none of these techniques work, you may need to resort to a solvent, such as denatured alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, or Goof Off, to remove paint from finished wood. Be aware, however, that products such as these may mar the finished surface of the wood.
Oil-based paint
Removing old oil-based paint spots is tougher. Try sanding very gently with fine sandpaper, then scraping and wiping with a damp rag.
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