Paint- let’s be clear, we’re talking about paint!
As much as I love the idea of fresh walls and bright colours in open spaces, as a painters wife, paint is also my nemesis!
No matter how hard David tries, I’ve come to accept that there will be tiny paint particles on my floors, in my car, in my driveway, in my washing basket and machine! In amongst my clean washing, and one time, my iron even melted it onto itself 🤦🏻♀️
But how do you get it off? Find a quick guide on how to remove paint, wet or dry, from different surfaces below.
Glass.
A very common question asked from anyone who has wooden window frames. Even the steadiest hand may stray a tiny bit when painting frames.
In order to protect the glass from being scratched it is best to use hot soapy water and a cloth. If this doesn’t budge it, a safety razor blade used carefully will do the trick. Just make sure you hold it at a 45 degree angle, as it could scratch your glass too if you aren’t careful.
Wood.
It might not be in your plans to paint all of your wood, or you may need to remove old paint from wooden handrails or door frames.
If there are layers of paint the quickest way to remove it is to burn it off. This is as dramatic as it sounds so you have to be super careful! Only apply a heat pad until the paint starts to blister, then scrape it the rest of the way with a putty knife.
If there aren’t layers to go, again your hot soapy water with an abrasive pad can do the trick. Or a sharp/putty knife. The idea is to be really gentle though, wood can be repaired with a light sanding, but gouges are much harder to disguise!
Concrete.
First of all leave to dry and use a heavy brush to sweep any dried loose paint. Chemicals such as a painter stripper can be used here without worry of damage, as long as you brush it away and wash it down afterwards.
Leather.
This is a nightmare and one I’ve experienced myself. Keeping to trend absolutely start with hot soapy water, if this doesn’t do the trick vegetable oil can be used to loosen the paint, but please keep in mind oil can stain the leather. So make sure to use leather cleaner afterwards.
I found that the pink stuff worked on my chairs. Lightly does it though, as abrasives on leather can damage as much as the thing your trying to remove!
Metal.
As with wood, metals can mark easily, as always start with hot soapy water. If this doesn’t do the trick you can try sanding with fine paper. Another way is using paint stripper, leave it on the surface for 10 mins and then wipe away. The latter would be my first choice!
Plastic.
You know what I’m going to say- hot soapy water 😂
If this doesn’t move your paint try vegetable oil. Anything stronger could start to melt the plastic so be wary of using paint stripper. A sharp razor at 45 degrees may also be a winner here.
However you manage to get paint off of your surface, always wash it down afterwards. The residue of the paint itself, chemicals or oils can affect the new surface that you leave behind.
I used to laugh when David’s answer to me, for most things, was ‘use hot soapy bubble’.
I’m laughing at myself now because he was probably being genuine, and he was also probably right! (Don’t tell him I said that!)
The painters wife xxx
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