Let’s say you are painting the walls of your brand new home. You decide that the color on the walls just isn’t for you. It is very common for paint to drip off walls when we are painting them.
But you need to know how to get paint off laminate flooring, otherwise, it’s going to look hideous and even damage the floor.
The best way to prevent any of this from ever happening is to prepare (or hire a painting contractor). It is very simple. Make sure to maintain a clean, open space for painting and line the floor with cardboard, tarp, or any other material that can protect your things. The best defense is a good offense; so, make sure your floor is protected at all times.
Look, we get it- sometimes paint just finds a way onto your laminate floors, and it sucks.
Thankfully, there’s actually a pretty simple way to get it all off.
The Bottom Line (How to get paint off of laminate floor)
Acrylic/Latex paint sticks to laminate flooring super fast. If you notice it falling, immediately wipe it down with water.
If you don’t get to it fast enough, you have two, key options:
- Household Options (soap, liquid detergent, vinegar)
- Acetone (Best solution- Nail polish remover, painter grade- acetone solution, or paint thinner)
Keep in mind, you don’t wanna apply a large amount of acetone- that could do some damage to the flooring. Instead, you want to lightly mist it over the area and then wipe it down with a paper towel or rag.
In some cases, using a plastic putty knife to scrape off the paint will help too, especially when there’s more paint. Either way, acetone will definitely get it off.
What can you do against paint on your laminate floors?
The most economic and environmentally friendly paints are latex, which unfortunately tends to adhere to laminates very quickly. Which might actually be a good thing, especially if you’re painting decks.
Like we said before, the best thing you can do against paint on your floors is to prepare properly. Save yourself the trouble. But, if there is already paint on your floors, don’t worry, there is still hope. The solution might also be very nearby.
Home solutions
Home solutions are the most practical out of all the methods. You combine oil-removing liquids with an equal proportion of water for the most effective results. The liquids can range from dish soap, degreaser, vinegar, alcohol, or even liquid detergent. These are all optimal remedies for removing latex paints.
Now that you have your solution the first thing you need to do is make sure the area around the paint is clean. Get a vacuum cleaner or a broom and make sure the area is free from anything that might scratch the floor. Then, gently scrape the paint off the floor at an angle to not cause any unnecessary damages.
Nail Polish Remover
Nail polish remover is definitely an option that we have after trying our home solution. Acetone nail polish will help the latex loosen over time, and it will fall right off. If the paint still doesn’t come off the first time around. Then, reapply and wait, because it might require a few tries to be fully effective.
Degreaser
A degreaser is a preliminary option for getting paint off your laminate floors. While it might take a few tries to fully remove the problem, it will improve immediately upon first contact.
Note* While this is an option- degreaser is an extremely strong chemical and should only be used as a last resort. If you do use a degreaser on your laminate flooring, make sure to spray some degreaser on a rag and then wipe/scrub down the area. Definitely don’t just apply a ton of degreaser directly to the flooring- that might do damage (depending on the flooring quality).
Window Cleaner
If the paint persists and refuses to come off the floor despite many applications of one of the aforementioned products. Then, a window cleaner might be your best bet. Ammonia is one of the key components of window cleaner’s potency. The ammonia in the cleaner sifts through and eliminates many of the chemical components of the latex. Essentially, we don’t think the paint is going to be a problem anymore.
Another nightmare situation would be oil-paint, because that’s an extremely messy situation whether the paint has dried or not. How long does oil paint take to dry? In this case, it wouldn’t even really matter, because whether the paint is dry or not, it’s going to be a mess.
Will Acetone damage laminate flooring?
Where does acetone come from?
Acetone is a naturally-forming compound, which can be found in many household items. For example, nail polish remover, lacquer, and even some types of vinegar.
Products containing acetone are often recommended for getting paint off of laminate flooring. However, they sparingly come with warnings. Acetone can harm the finish of your laminate flooring!
The solution here would be to dilute the acetone in water or to use it sparingly. Make sure to not over-apply acetone on laminate flooring, because the results will not be pleasant. Another thing you can do to make sure your floor doesn’t blemish is to find painter-grade acetone. These painter-grade acetones have a lower concentration of acetone in the solution, so the prospect of damages is reduced significantly.
