Removing paint roller spray from vinyl cushioned furniture?

[Tarquintar]

I have some retro Schreiber dining chairs with black plastic/vinyl seat and back pads. Spares that we drag out at Christmas which were acquired over 20 years ago. On some of them there is roller overspray, white emulsion I presumed, dozens of 1mm spots that I thought would come off with a bit of soapy water and a nail brush, but that's not the case.

It's old paint and I'm reluctant to experiment with harsh chemicals. Any suggestions as to what I can use?

 

[opps]

Acetone will soften waterbased paint. Cellulose thinners will do so much faster but it is much more aggressive.

Rather than specifically buying a bottle of acetone, if you have access to a high content acetone nail varnish remover, try testing it on the underside folds of one of the chairs to make sure that it will not damage the vinyl.

Cellulose will melt certain plastics.

 

[Wayners]

Methilated spirits will remove waterbased paints but not oil based paints.
Meths is a cleaner and mild paint striper and I go with that.
Test small area first.
That will work imo. If you wanted to escalate then isopropyl alcohol. I use that to remove emulsion from work trousers

 

[Chivas69]

I normally find, if it's definitely emulsion and not gloss, that dabbing with hot water, leave for 1 minute then dab again and gently scrape a finger nail on it.

 

[robinbanks]

Aye, drape a wet towel over them and leave it a while..

 

[Tarquintar]

Acetone will soften waterbased paint.

I understand acetone can soften and harm some plastics as well?

dabbing with hot water, leave for 1 minute then dab again and gently scrape a finger nail on it.

I've already tried that and yes, the bigger half a mm spots come off but others don't, hence the nail brush, a very mild scourer, soapy water, 'Elbow Grease' the spray stuff etc., One chair has a thousand tiny spots on the seat cushion alone!

 

[Notch7]

You could try white spirit

sometimes it softens emulsion paint a bit but doesn’t affect plastic

 

[opps]

I understand acetone can soften and harm some plastics as well?

She what scowls at me once managed to get wet hair dye over a motorised window blind in the bathroom. I dabbed it with acetone, it was some kind of paper thin vinyl. It removed all of the red dye, leaving no traces.

Advice on the web seems to be mixed when it comes down to vinyl seats. Post number 7 in the following link says it is fine,

https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/872114-clean-cushions-acetone.html

I admit, I have never used it on vinyl seats though, hence my recommendation that you try it on the underside first.

The following lists the plastics that could be harmed.

• PVDF
• Polycarbonate
• Polysulfone
• Cast Acrylic
• PVC
• CPVC

The extent of damage is also a function of the length of exposure.

 

[Lin777]

i always use biological washing powder in warm water. Use a cloth to wipe the solution over the surface, leave it damp for 10 mins, use the nail brush if stubborn then use a bath towel to wipe it dry. Repeat if needs be. The surface can be polished up when the job is done.
I soak my decorating tools in it overnight, roller, tray, brushes, etc etc. It’s marvellous ! (Obvs in a strong solution)