How to Get Paint off Hardwood Floors

Loredo Litherland
Apr 28, 2021
4 min read

As a homeowner, doing your own renovation projects can be incredibly rewarding, but they also come with risks. If you’ve ever done something like painting your own walls, you’ll know how easy it is to accidentally end up with drips and paint spills on your floors. These can be hard to clean up, leaving unsightly stains on your flooring.

If you spill some paint while you’re renovation, the best option is to clean up the spill immediately. However, this isn’t always easy, so it’s good to know how to remove dried stains. This isn’t an easy process, but follow the steps below carefully and you should get good results.

Read on to find out how to remove some of the more common house paints from hardwood, linoleum or carpet floors.

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Scraping off dried paint
Soap and water
Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
Heat gun
Solvent
Pull scraper
Paint thinner
Conclusion

Scraping off dried paint

Scraping is a good option for water-based paints. You’ll need a plastic putty knife and a hammer, and possibly a pull scraper. Use the putty knife to gently scrape the paint off wooden floors without harming the surface. Make sure not to scrape too hard, or you might cause more damage to the floorboards.

If you have any hard spots of paint, use the hammer to gently tap the knife. If you have dried paint in the joins between the boards, use the pull scraper to remove the pain gently from the wood grain and the sides of the boards.

If your paint is oil-based, it might get tough when it dries. In this case, use a hairdryer on high heat and hold it about 3-4 inches away from the paint for 20 seconds to warm the spot.

Soap and water

Another option for removing water-based paint is simple soap and water. Combine mild soap with some warm water, then use it to dampen a rag. Scrub the paint with the damp rag. Once the pain has loosened, use a dry rag to wipe it off. If this doesn’t lift it all up, you might need to use a putty knife to carefully scrape the paint off, making sure you don’t damage the floor surface.

Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol

A third option for removing water-based paints is rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol). First of all, use a putty knife to carefully remove as much of the water-based paint as possible. Mix up three parts rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol to one part lemon juice. Dampen a rag with the mixture and then use it to saturate the paint. Leave it to sit for five minutes, then use the rag to scrub the paint. If the rag isn’t working, try a toothbrush or larger paint brush. Once all of the paint is removed, use a clean, damp rag to wipe the area clean.

Heat gun

A heat gun can be used to soften both oil-based or water-based paints, making it easier to remove them. Simply direct the heat gun towards the paint, while simultaneously using a putty knife to scrape away the paint. Once you’ve removed the paint, clean the floor with a camp rag. It’s important not to use the heat gun for too long, or you risk damaging the wooden floor. If you don’t want to risk causing damage to your floors, a hairdryer can be used instead.

Solvent

If you have paint in crevices in your floor, solvent can be a good method of removing it, as long as you make sure you use right one. If you’ve spilled latex paint, you can use latex paint remover, but you can’t use it on oil-based paint. If you’re removing oil-based paint there are a lot of solvents to choose from. The strongest solvent for oil-based paint that you can use safely on hardwood floors is mineral oil – just be careful not to use too much. Use a rag to gently dab the oil onto the paint stain, then touch the stain. If it feels soft, don’t use any more solvent – instead change over to rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol, and rub firmly on the stain to finish removing the paint.

Pull scraper

The hardest paint stains to remove are thin splashes that have soaked into the grain. You might not be able to remove these without taking off some of the finish. If you have tried all of the other methods without success, use a pull scraper to take off a thin surface layer of the grain. Once the paint stain has been removed, touch-up the area with matching finish using a paintbrush or rag. If you’ve been gentle and only removed a very thin layer, the repair shouldn’t be visible once the finish has dried.

Paint thinner

Paint thinner is an absolute last resort for removing paint stains, because it’s easy to take off some of the finish. Make sure the room is properly ventilated before you start working. Use a clean rag to rub the paint thinner into the paint stain until you can rub all of the paint away.

Conclusion

If you’ve tried water and soap and it hasn’t worked, your nearest home improvement store is a great source of advice. They will be able to sell you water-based removers for latex paints, which are often just as effective as chemical paint removal products.

Hopefully these tips have given you the confidence that next time a paint spill happens, you know you’ll be able to get your floors back to pristine condition.