6 Ways To Remove Old Paint From Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are among the most cherished classy flooring options with undeniable natural and authentic beauty. Anyone would do whatever it takes to maintain the appealing luster on the hardwood floors. At times you may notice some paint drops that you didn’t see during the painting process. Finding the solution on how to remove paint from the hardwood floor may never be a walk in the park. Read through as you learn how to remove old paint from hardwood in a few simple steps and save the cost of hiring a specialist to clean the dried-up paint drops.

Materials That You’ll Need

• Paper towel
• Clean rags
• Dish wash soap
• Water
• Denatured Alcohol
• Dull knife
• Scrub brush
• Paint thinner
• Cleansing pads

Preparation of the floor

Preparation of the floor surface is the first step before carrying out any maintenance activity on the floor surface. You clean the surface off dust, dirt, and grit to ensure the paint drops are visible. Check if the paint is water-based or oil-based before taking any further action.

You can either dissolve the paint using a solvent or scrap it off using a scraper. Removing oil-based old paint is more challenging compared to acrylic paint as some of the effective solvents used to dissolve the paint may also damage the floor finish. Always try out other methods to remove paint from hardwood without chemicals before resorting to commercial solvents.

Below are some of the most effective methods of removing paint from wood floors.

scrapping of hardened paint

The method works best for water-based paint. You can use a plastic putty knife to remove the paint without damaging the surface of the wood floor. You can as well use a hammer to tap the putty knife in the case of hard paint spots.

In the case of dried paint in the joints between two boards, you can use a pull scraper to gently remove the paint from wood grain depression and the sides of the two boards. However, some oil-based paints get tough when dry. Therefore, try warming the spot with a hairdryer by setting full heat and holding it about 3 inches above the ground for 20 seconds.

Never use heat guns because they can damage the finish. It is also essential to know how to remove paint from wood floors without damaging the finish. Do not over scrap the floor to avoid further damage to the finish.

Use of a mild cleaning detergent

You can put a drop of dish washing soap to damp paper and wet every part of the stain using a paper towel.

Consider rubbing back and forth for a couple of minutes and wipe out the stain using a dry and an absorbent rag. The paint should be now easy to lift off the floor due to softening by the soapy water. Lastly, use a blunt knife to scratch off the paint layer and sweep off the floor surface.

Use of commercial paint removers

This is a quicker way to remove dried paint off the hardwood floors. Visit one of the home improvement stores and buy a paint remover. Directly apply the paint remover on the dried paint using a cotton ball or swabs and leave the product to soak for about 15 minutes to break down the paint. Be keen not to apply the paint remover on areas without the color.

Wipe out the chipped paint and the remover liquid using a paper towel or a rag. If your floor is greasy, you can use soapy water to clean it to avoid a slip-fall hazard.

How to remove old gloss paint from hardwood using denatured alcohol

Use of alcohol is another alternative that you can try out at home.  First, rub the denatured alcohol on the stain using a rag and let it soak into the paint for about 20 to 30 minutes, for the paint to absorb enough alcohol to break it up for easy removal.

Scrub the paint using a scrub brush in a forth-back motion and wipe out the excess paint on the wood floor. Ensure you leave a dry surface once you finish the work.

Use of a cleansing pad

Buy alcohol-based cleansing pad at a local drug store. Then, scrub the paint stain using one of the paint cleansing pads. When the cleansing pad dries out, use a new one until you remove the paint from the floor.

 

 

 

 

Remove old paint off hardwood floors using paint thinner

The use of thinner should be the last resort in removing paint from the stained wood floor. Take great care as the thinner can easily remove the finish. Ensure proper ventilation in the room you’ll be working inside. Soak a small part of a rag with the thinner and rub it on the paint stain until you remove all the paint thoroughly.

Alternatively, you can use mineral spirit if you are not comfortable with the smell of paint thinner. The method is a super-fast to remove oil-based paint from hardwood. Never use thinner on water-based paint.