Paint on laquered wood floor

[Beverly27]

One for the wood floor experts. Our painter managed to get paint on our laquered wood floors, as the photo shows. What would be the best way for us to remove this please?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Have you tried gently abrading with a green scouring pad and lots of water?

 

[Beverly27]

Have you tried gently abrading with a green scouring pad and lots of water?

Thanks. I haven't tried this, have you seen this method work in practice?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I've done it oon a number of occasions

 

[Beverly27]

I've done it oon a number of occasions

Wonderful, thank you, I'll give it a try!

 

[foxhole]

Emulsion? Or oil based paint?

 

[Wayners]

Water based or oil based paint? Used to be able to buy Pretty Boy paint remover for that sort of job in the UK. Some sold on Facebook. Can't seem to see it now.
Meths will also remove water based paint with rub on microfibre cloth.
Your going to have to test a spot out the way at either the above may effect the lacquer making a mess. Depends on coating.
Wood floor person or French polisher maybe better bet for advise

 

[opps]

If it is waterbased paint then you can use acetone to remove the paint. I have just finished a job where the previous decorators painted around and over the metal sockets. After a couple of mins of acetone, the emulsion came off with ease.

I have no idea what your floor finish is though, and would recommend that you do a sample spot. It doesn't look waterbased but I cannot be sure.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

If it is waterbased paint then you can use acetone to remove the paint.

The problem about using acetone, or for that matter any other solvent to remove the white paint is that there is a risk that the solvent well dissolve the flooring finish beneath the contaminant. So whilst there is a concern about dissolving the paint, similar consideration should be given to what will happen to the finish of the floor beneath. (The flooring is a herringbone pattern, which suggests to me that it could well be parquet - its' condition suggests that it may be modern, or possibly relaid or refinished at some time, so the finish could be just about anything)

As a rule if there is anything like that I start with a coarse dishcloth and plain water, which actually works on emulsion and sometimes on reasonably freshly dripped water-based gloss paints. I assumed that the OP might have already tried that. The next thing is a Scotchbrite scouring pad (white Webrax is better, but not generally something people have at home) and lots of water used with mimimal pressure over a small area - very often if the floor has been waxed it won't take much buffing to lift the ccontamination. Sometimes a well-thinned micro-abrasive such as Farecla works well as a next stage. As ever, the trick is to be very gentle

Before using any sort of solvent on a finished wooden surface I think it's always a good idea to find a hidden corner to try it out first. Acetone, for example, attacks acrylics and cellulose (both used in some finishing products), whilst methylated spirits dissolves shelac-based products (e.g.French polish), etc, etc. Hence my caution

 

[Beverly27]

Water-based, but has been set for a long time

 

[opps]

The problem about using acetone, or for that matter any other solvent to remove the white paint is that there is a risk that the solvent well dissolve the flooring finish beneath the contaminant. So whilst there is a concern about dissolving the paint, similar consideration should be given to what will happen to the finish of the floor beneath. (The flooring is a herringbone pattern, which suggests to me that it could well be parquet - its' condition suggests that it may be modern, or possibly relaid or refinished at some time, so the finish could be just about anything)

As a rule if there is anything like that I start with a coarse dishcloth and plain water, which actually works on emulsion and sometimes on reasonably freshly dripped water-based gloss paints. I assumed that the OP might have already tried that. The next thing is a Scotchbrite scouring pad (white Webrax is better, but not generally something people have at home) and lots of water used with mimimal pressure over a small area - very often if the floor has been waxed it won't take much buffing to lift the ccontamination. Sometimes a well-thinned micro-abrasive such as Farecla works well as a next stage. As ever, the trick is to be very gentle

Before using any sort of solvent on a finished wooden surface I think it's always a good idea to find a hidden corner to try it out first. Acetone, for example, attacks acrylics and cellulose (both used in some finishing products), whilst methylated spirits dissolves shelac-based products (e.g.French polish), etc, etc. Hence my caution

Yup, I agree with you.

If the floor is oil based the acetone should be fine but yeah, it might be water based, and as you said, we don't know if the paint is oil or water based.

Looking at the paint lines and the generally poor quality of paint finish, I think that 50mm tape was used and that some of the paint on the floor is paint that expended past the tape . Someone seems to think that rolling woodwork with a roller is acceptable... The quality of finish is commensurate with the state of the floor.

 

[opps]

Water-based, but has been set for a long time

Meths, acetone will remove it. Acetone is faster. Try a sample area first though

 

[Beverly27]

I'm having an issue quoting your responses in my replies, so thank you JobandKnock, opps, and Wayners. It's water based paint, but has been dried on the floor for a couple of years. In the first instance, I'll try gentle scrubbing with a green scouring pad and water. If that fails, then I'll find a spot out of the way and see if using meths with a microfibre cloth causes any damage to the lacquer. How does that sound for a plan?

 

[opps]

Before using any sort of solvent on a finished wooden surface I think it's always a good idea to find a hidden corner to try it out first. Acetone, for example, attacks acrylics and cellulose (both used in some finishing products), whilst methylated spirits dissolves shelac-based products (e.g.French polish), etc, etc. Hence my caution

As an aside- household ammonia completely breaks down shellac based products. I use it to clean brushes used with shellac based paints. It stinks though. I used to use throw away brushes previously but I am now happy to use £15+ brushes because they will clean up as good as new.

Ammonia is alkali based. When working with pigmented based paints, after agitating the brush, the pigment falls to the bottom of the container and once the ammonia evaporates off it can be poured down the sink. These days I use jars to store small quantities on ammonia to clean my brushes and 50ml will last months (albeit, with white pigment at the bottom.

 

[Wayners]

Go with your plan. Go steady. Good luck.