After your DIY latex wall painting, you see splashes of paint here and there spilled. Yes, right beside your beautifully decorated color, you see a dirty floor; would that be pleasing? Surely not!
That’s why you have to act as fast as possible. Latex paint is usually relatively easy to remove when it’s wet, but dry latex paint can be a handful. But don’t worry, we got you covered.
If you’ve been spinning your head thinking you’ve spoiled the whole floor and how to remove latex paint from concrete floor, then relax, sweetie! It’s an easy process with a few steps that’s easier than baking a cake! Not exaggerating, but even a newbie would take care of it with no mess. Just look at the steps, and you’ll know why I think so.
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How to Get Off Latex Paint Splatters From Concrete
Due to a nearby painting project, paint spills and splashes can drop on the concrete floor. And when you notice it while it’s still wet, you should not make any delay to clean it up. But how? It’s easy as a piece of cake. Let’s see first
what you’ll need-
- Water: 5 gallons
- Dishwashing liquid: 1 tbs will do
- Paint scraper
- Wire brush, scrub, or pressure washer
Now, let’s move on to the procedure.
- Make a mixture of soapy water by adding a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid to 5 gallons of water.
- Grab your wire brush or scrub, soak it in the mixture. Now, keep scrubbing the surface until the floor is rid of any paint splatters.
- Now, you may face difficulties to remove the paint if it has dried a bit. In this case, you’ll need an old towel or rag soaked in paint thinner for a while.
- After it is well-soaked, keep the fabric over the paint spot. Leave it like that for an hour or so.
- Then remove it, and take a paint scraper and scrape off the paint.
- You might also need the brush wire to scrub off the remaining paint thoroughly.
- When all is done, clean the surface with water, and you’re done!
How To Get Off Dried Latex Paint From Concrete
Well, wiping off the wet latex paint from the concrete floor might be the most straightforward paint job on earth, but it’s not the same when it comes to dried paint. You move on to your new home and see latex paint stains on the floor from the repairing work a few days ago. Do you panic? Well, you would if you didn’t know this easy way to get rid of it.
Materials you’ll need
- Putty knife or paint scraper
- Old rag or towel fabric
- Household ammonia
- Mixture of warm soapy water
- Paper towels or tissue paper
- Denatured alcohol, acetone, or paint stripper
- Sponge or scrub
Procedure
Step 1: Removing dirt and debris
Take a sweeper, a mob, or a broom to take care of the dirt on the surface. Giving a nice handy sweep to the loose dust and debris will provide you with a clean surface to work on without extra fuss.
Step 2: Scraping
Next, grab your putty knife or paint scraper and scratch away some paint or as much as you can. As it has been there for a while, you might need to put some extra strength when scraping it off.
Step 3: Soak the spot
Simply scuffing the spot will not allow total removal of the challenging dried paint. So, now for the next step, take your old rag and soak it with household ammonia. Now, place it over the dried paint. Let it soak and saturate the area for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Step 4: Soapy water scrubbing
After the marinating session, it’s time for the cooking. So, take off the fabric and take your scrubber in hand. Soak it with warm soapy water and scrub on the paint spot until the paint is all gone. If you have successfully removed the stain, soak up the extra water and moisture with tissue papers or a clean cloth.
Step 5: Denatured alcohol (If stain is still there)
The paint can be left on for longer than you think, and simple household ammonia may not be enough to take it off. So, your savior this time will be denatured alcohol. Soak your rag with denatured or rubbing alcohol and leave it on the paint spot for 20 to 30 minutes. After half an hour, remove it and take your scraper to scrape off the paint. Then finally, grab your sponge soaked in warm soapy water and clean up the total mess.
Step 6: Commercial paint stripper (Stubborn paint)
If none of household ammonia or alcohol is working for you, your best card would be to use a commercial paint stripper or acetone. This chemical stripper shouldn’t fail, so you can even use it in the first place to avoid any hassle. Soak your rag with the stripper and leave it on the spot for half an hour. Then, do the usual. Take off the fabric, scrape off the remaining paint, and finally scrub it off with warm soapy water.
Read more: How to Paint Concrete Floors?
Do not avoid cleansing with soapy water because if you leave the chemical solvent on the surface, it will harm your health and everyone in the house. And at last, wash the surface with clean water, dry up the moisture with paper towels, or let it dry naturally. Wasn’t a big fuss, was it? So, go and handle those dried-up latex paint spots right away!