If you are the proud owner of new wood flooring, there are few things more frustrating than discovering a paint stain. One of the most commonly asked questions regarding wood flooring, solid or engineered, is “How can I remove paint from my wood floor?”.
It may well be that your wood flooring is newly installed and your paint stain has come about during the final decoration or your room. Or, it may be that you’ve inherited your floor from the previous owner of your house and have been unfortunate enough to either cause or discover a paint stain. Either way, it’s important to ascertain (if possible) what kind of paint you’re dealing with.
Paints come in all different forms, and the most common include water-based, oil-based and latex-based paint. Water based paint and latex based paint are the two easiest types of paint stain to remove. If the stain is still wet, to be honest, a wipe with a damp cloth should do the trick. Even if the paint has dried, and it is water or latex-based a very hot, wet cloth should still to the trick nicely.
In order to soften dried or hardened paint, rub the area lightly with a cloth moistened with really hot water. Once the paint seems to have regained its liquid form, you should be able to remove it by rubbing with a soft cloth, or, in the worst-case scenario, using a wet scrubber. It’s a good idea to apply vegetable oil to the scrubber before you attack your floor. That way it will be less likely to damage the floor and cause the surface to dull.
Oil-based paint stains are slightly more complicated and once dry are pretty much impossible to remove. An oil-based paint stain which is still moist will require an appropriate thinner in order to have a chance of removal. The only option when it comes to dried in, oil-based paint is to either scrape it away or use a harsh chemical, such as nail polish remover to remove it. Either way, you are more than likely to damage the surface of your floor, leaving you with patches which will need to be repaired. Generally speaking floors can be repaired using specialist waxes, oils or pens, if the damage is not excessive.
If your paint staining is extensive and covers large areas of your wood flooring, it may well be worth considering a complete re-sand and re-seal in order to bring your floor back to its former glory.