Many homeowners prefer to use latex paint because latex paint can dry very quickly and easy to clean.
While painting your walls, latex paint can fall a wood floor.
As latex paints dry off very quickly, you should know how to remove latex paint from wood as soon as it splatters on your hardwood floor or baseboard.
You should be very careful while painting so that the paint doesn’t splatter on the wood in the first place.
However, if you need to remove latex paint from your hardwood floor or baseboard, there are few ways.
Whether it’s a few small platters or large paint strips, by following these ways, you will be able to remove latex paint from wood.
One important thing you must keep in mind is that you need to remove the paint as soon as possible as latex paint can dry very quickly.
And if the latex paint had dried off, few of the following steps will also work.
How to Remove Latex Paint from Wood – Follow These 4 Easy Methods
Method 1: Removing Latex Paint with a Mixture of Lemon Juice and Rubbing Alcohol
This particular method is mainly to remove dried latex paint from wood. To remove the color, you will need a few tools and materials.
They are spatula, lemon, rubbing alcohol, clean cloth, methylated spirit, etc.
At first, with the help of a spatula, you need to scrape the paint from the wood. Be careful and gentle so that you don’t damage the wood.
After that, make a mixture of lemon juice and rubbing alcohol. Take four tablespoons of lemon juice and a cup of rubbing alcohol in a bowl and mix it thoroughly.
Take a clean cloth, apply the mixture on the wood, and scrub the paint with a brush. If the latex paint is not coming off, redo this process several times.
You can also use methylated spirit. With a clean cloth, rub the mixture on the paint until it comes off.
You can take a new cloth otherwise you would spread the residue paint on other areas of the wood.
Repeating this process for several times will eradicate the latex paint from the wood.
Method 2: Removing Latex Paint with a Paint Stripper
To remove the latex paint from your hardwood floor or baseboard, using paint strippers can be a great solution.
Many people don’t want to use pain stripper as they are usually made with strong chemicals and might be harmful. But new paint strippers are made with safer chemicals.
At first, you need to buy a paint stripper from a local hardware store. Then you need to put on safety goggles and gloves.
Paint strippers can be harmful to your skin and eyes, so be careful not to come in direct contact with it.
Then you need to collect the necessary tools like a putty knife, paintbrush, plastic sheets, etc.
Before starting to remove the paint, make sure you are working in an area that is well ventilated. If the room doesn’t have any windows, place a fan.
Place a plastic sheet to protect the floor from the paint stripper. With a brush, apply the paint stripper on the latex paint.
Let the paint stripper sit for around 15 to 20 minutes. By this time, the latex paint will start to react and dissolve in the presence of paint stripper.
After you see bubbles are forming, it is time to scrape off the paint. With a putty knife, scrape the latex paint gently so that you don’t harm the wood.
If the paint doesn’t come off on one attempt, apply another layer of paint stripper, and wait for 15 minutes.
Method 3: Removing Latex Paint with an Electric Heat Machine
Use an electric heat machine to remove latex paint from wood. You will need a few tools for this, which are a heat machine, and a putty knife for this process.
Also, wear gloves and safety google so that you can stay safe from any kind of unwanted accident.
To start removing the paint, you need to hold the heat machine at the correct position.
Make sure that you don’t hold the heat machine too close to the latex paint because it will put on dark marks on the wood.
Many people use a blowtorch to remove latex paint from wood. But we will suggest you not to use a blowtorch as it increases the risk of producing fire.
Hold the heat machine at least 8 to 10 inches away from the surface and then turn on the heat machine.
Move the heat machine over the latex paint slowly and in a circular motion. Don’t hold the machine in one place for too long otherwise; it will burn the baseboard.
After heating the wood, you will notice the latex paint has started to wrinkle and form bubbles. With a putty knife, scrape the paint off gradually.
You will get a better result if you heat the wood with the heat machine by one hand and using the other hand, scrape off the paint off simultaneously.
If you wait too long to scrape off paint from one side, the other side will get dried. Continue this process until the latex paint comes off.
Method 4: Removing Latex Paint with a Steam Stripper
Many house owners prefer to use a steam stripper to remove latex paint over chemical strippers and an electric heat machine.
Because steam strippers don’t create any possibility to cause a fire. Also, there is no risk of harm from active chemical components.
You will only need a steam stripper and a putty knife to scrape off the paint. The best thing about steam stripper is that they won’t create excess dust.
However, this method will not be suitable if you have a dense layer of latex paint on your hardwood floor or baseboard.
You need to be a bit patient as compared to the previous methods; this one will take more time.
To remove the latex paint, at first, you need to hold the steamer on the wood surface. Unlike the heat machine, you need to hold it very close to the wood surface.
Hold it still for about 15 to 20 seconds. Then you will see the latex paint has started to form bubbles. nNow it is time to scrape off the paint with a putty knife.
Work with one little section at a time. If you have large paint strips all over your wood wall or baseboard, it will take a few hours to remove the paint.
But this method is preferred by many people for its flexibility and less risk of accidents.
You can choose any of these for methods based on the type and intensity of the paint to remove latex paint from your hardwood floor or baseboard.
If the latex paint has dried off, go for method 1. If you don’t want to use active chemical or heat, go for method 4.
On the other hand, if there are strong layers of latex paint, you need to go for method 3 or 4 because the other two methods might not be enough.
How to Remove Paint from Wood Without Chemicals?
To remove paint from wood without chemicals, you can use a heat machine, a pressure washer or a steam stripper.
Many homeowners don’t want to use paint strippers because they contain active chemical components.
These components can be harmful to the wood as well as your health. So, they prefer to use heat machines or pressure washers to remove paint from wood.
You can easily remove paint from wood with a heat machine by heating the wood surface.
On the other hand, if you want to use a pressure washer, you need to follow a few steps. At first, you will need to turn on the compressor.
Make sure that you are holding the nozzle at least 10 to 15 inches away from the wood surface. Otherwise, you will harm the wood.
Repeat the process, and you will be able to remove paint from wood without using any active chemical component.
Will Mineral Spirits Remove Latex Paint from Wood?
Mineral spirit can remove latex paint from wood, but it also depends on several factors. They are mainly used to extract oil paints from wood.
So, removing latex paint from wood with mineral spirit might not be a great idea.
As latex paint is made off different components, it will need stronger solvents to remove the paint off altogether.
For example, you can use rubbing alcohol instead of mineral spirit, which will give you a better result.
How to Remove Latex Paint from Hardwood Floors?
One of the best ways to remove latex paint from hardwood floor is to use a mixture of lemon juice and rubbing alcohol.
Pour four tablespoons of lemon juice in a cup of rubbing alcohol. After mixing it well, apply the mixture on the latex paint with a white cloth.
Rub the area thoroughly and scrape the paint off with a putty knife. Your hardwood floor will be free of latex paint as well as keep its quality.
Removing latex paint from wood is not as hard as you think. With the proper technique and tools, you will be able to get rid of the latex paint in no time.
