It is not unusual to spill a little paint or drop some on your floor accidentally when doing home improvement tasks like painting the walls of your home or upcycling some old furniture.
Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll catch it early and be able to wipe it away easily before it dries. However, it may go unnoticed until it has dried up.
Also, when painting laminate flooring, you could paint in places you didn’t originally plan to. This could be because you didn’t tape the sections properly, or because the paint was too thin and seeped into other sections.
Fortunately, laminate flooring is stain resistant, and with the right technique, you can easily remove all of the rogue paint.
What You’ll Need
- High-quality cleaning solution
- Warm water
- Liquid soap
- Sponge
- Cloth
- A broom/vacuum cleaner
- Paper towels or old rags
- Vinegar (White)
- Cleaning products containing ammonia
- Soft bristle brush
- rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol)
- Bucket
DIY Paint-Removing Solution
A DIY paint cleaning solution is a general-purpose paint lifter that can typically remove any paint stain.
The presence of rubbing alcohol and soap will aid in the raising of oil-based paints, while the presence of water and vinegar will benefit the softening of water-based paints.
- Sweep the affected area’s floor with a vacuum cleaner or broom. Sweeping will remove existing dirt and dust that may cause imperfections on the surface of the flooring.
- Take a bucket or large container and fill it with water. Combine rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, and water to make a cleaning solution. Take care when you do this, ensuring you combine equal parts rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, and water.
- Stir the contents until the mixture reaches a medium consistency. Stir in a few drops of mild dish soap until it forms a lather.
- Dip a rag or paper towel into the homemade cleaning solution, then gently scrub the exterior of the flooring in a back and forth motion with your elbows.
- When a considerable amount of paint has come off, soak a rag in acetone and massage it around the floor area for five minutes. This will remove any remaining paint traces.
Another interesting read: The 5 Best Underlayment For Laminate Flooring On Concrete
Acetone Paint-Removal Solution
For stubborn stains that no homemade solution can completely remove, use a nail paint remover. Acetone is petroleum-based alcohol that promotes the gradual loosening of the binding between paint and laminate surface.
- Sweep the affected area of the floor using a vacuum sweeper or a broom. Sweeping will remove existing dirt particles that may cause imperfections on the exterior of the flooring.
- Using a rag or cotton wool, apply acetone-based nail polish remover. Smudge the rag over the paint stain and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the paint stain is entirely absorbed.
- Acetone evaporates quickly when exposed to air, so you may need to reapply it a couple of times before the stain is completely removed.
- If there are no noticeable improvements after the first attempt, repeat the process until the paint stain begins to lift off.
- Wash the floor surface thoroughly with lukewarm water and then clean up with a dry rag – using tweezers, lift off the edge of any leftover paint residue.
- Wash the floor well with the premade white vinegar, mild soap, and rubbing alcohol solution. Allow it to dry completely.
Ammonia Cleaning Solution
Ammonia is a colorless natural active ingredient that is widely found in household cleaning products such as disinfectants, window cleaners, and other surface cleaners.
If the acetone-based nail removal approach does not work, try ammonia, which is known to break down the sulfur bond, which is also present in paints.
To prepare your ammonia-based solution, combine two tablespoons of cornstarch, half a cup white vinegar, and half a cup of ammonia in lukewarm water. You can find ammonia at your local hardware store.
When using ammonia at home, extra care should be taken to prevent the mixing of ammonia with bleach products; as this can give off toxic fumes. Always read the label carefully before using any cleaning products.
- Sweep the affected area of the floor using a vacuum sweeper or a broom. Sweeping will remove existing dirt particles that may cause imperfections on the exterior of the flooring.
- Spray the ammonia-based solution onto the paint-stained area and let it soak for a few minutes.
- Scrub the paint away using a clean rag, then look for visible paint marks on the cloth to confirm the paint lift. If there hasn’t been a lift yet, let it sit for a few minutes.
- When the color begins to fade, gently scrub the affected area in a slow circular motion with a soft bristle brush; alternatively, use a rag to wipe to check for progress.
- Rinse the laminate floor with lukewarm water before drying with a rag or leaving to dry.
- Repeat the instructions till the paint stain is completely removed.
Store-bought Paint Remover
If the paint stains are too stubborn to remove and you have exhausted all other options, a store-bought remedy is your next best bet.
Paint removers are products that are specifically designed to address particular problems, such as persistent paint stains.
These items are suitable for use on the floor of a home, including laminate flooring. You can find a good floor cleaner at your local supermarket.
- Sweep the affected area’s floor using a vacuum sweeper or a broom. Sweeping will remove existing dirt particles that may cause imperfections on the exterior of the flooring.
- Apply the recommended amount of paint remover and leave it to sit for the time specified on the product’s label.
- Rinse the affected area with lukewarm water and dry with a rag or paper towel.
If all else fails
If you’ve exhausted every other method in this article, then it’s probably time to use mineral/chemical spirits or paint thinner.
Using extreme measures should be viewed as a last resort and should be performed with care, adhering to the manufacturer’s instructions as outlined on the product label.
The odor is strong, and the vapors are hazardous, so take the right precautions before using them in your home.
