How to Remove Paint Stains From Any Surface in Your House

From time to time, everyone likes to freshen up their homes with a new coat of paint. And while that’s all well and good — we can accidentally spill this paint on surfaces that aren’t easy to clean. Sure, even as careful as you are — a tiny smudge is bound to get somewhere.

You’ll find that even professional painters get some paint on carpeting or countertops. This is a situation that can be frustrating, especially after you’ve spent countless hours painting a surface. With that in mind, we’re here with a nifty guide to show you how to remove stains from any surface found in your home!

Stains on Glass

Adequately protecting your windows while painting is certainly difficult. On one hand, you want to cover up your glass panels so that no splatter comes in contact with them; but you also need to take care not to damage them. That’s why some paint is bound to find its way onto your windows.

Cleaning paint that’s hardened on a glass surface is difficult without damaging the glass itself. However, a simple home remedy will help you in this regard. You just need to take some dish soap and look for a razor blade. This combination will help you remove even the most ancient paint stains on glass.

Just make a solution of warm water and soap, and cover the spotted area on the window using a rag or a sponge. Then, carefully position the blade of your razor at 45 degrees. This position will allow you to clean the paint off the now-damp glass without damaging it.

Cleaning Countertops

Paint is certainly great for freshening up the kitchen space with bright new colors. Still, some paint is bound to end up on your valuable kitchen countertops. In that situation, you need to carefully clean them while avoiding any damage to the texture. Proceed with extreme caution, and use something you’ve already got in your kitchen.

For instance, you’ll find that olive oil is a great remedy for paint stains on a countertop. Use a very thin coating of the oil on the area where you spilled some paint, and slowly rub it in using any kind of dry rag. It won’t appear to work at first, but just be patient and continue with the circular motions until the spot is gone.

Unfortunately, you may find that even consistent rubbing does not help. In that scenario, take a putty knife (preferably a plastic one) and wrap it in an oily rag. Proceed to slowly scrape the paint off the surface, and don’t put too much pressure even with a plastic knife. In the end, the paint drops should be all but gone; all that’s left is to wipe oil residue with a dry cloth.

Or.... if the paint spill is too much to clean, you can always sand the paint down, clean the countertops off and paint them with Giani Countertop Paint Kits! This is a great remedy to hide a big paint stain..... just paint it! ;)

Dealing With Carpet Stains

Surfaces like kitchen tops and glass can be tough to clean once you spill some paint — but we all know that kind of stain isn’t permanent. However, a much bigger problem is finding that you’ve spilled some paint on your floor carpeting. If you want to remove paint from carpeting, you need to act quickly and know what you’re doing.

The first thing you should do is wipe up the paint before it dries on the carpet. Try taking a couple of dry towels and blotting the spilled spot, being careful not to rub it in, as you’ll just make the stain bigger and more difficult to clean. If you happen to have any glycerin laying around, put a little on the towels and try to loosen any hardened paint.

If you’ve noticed this stain too late and the paint has already hardened, you may need to use an alcohol solvent, like a nail polish remover to remove the stain. Alternatively, white vinegar mixed with water will also do the trick. There are commercial paint cleaners, of course — but these can be incredibly strong chemicals that end up doing more harm than good.

Tile Stains

People often get paint on vinyl floors or linoleum surfaces. Cleaning these thoroughly without causing damage can be tricky. This is another situation where a soap solvent would be the best idea. Try soap and water first. If any hardened residue remains, you’ll have to scrape it off. Still, we recommend foregoing a metal scraper for a plastic one, as the latter is less likely to damage the surface you’re attempting to clean.

There are stains that may seem to require rubbing alcohol, but be careful not to overuse these. A combination of excessive rubbing and alcohol solvents may cause damage to the tile’s finish.

Cleaning Paint From Wooden Surfaces

If you spilled some latex paint on a wooden floor, you probably already know just how difficult the cleanup will be. Removing the stain without leaving a trace on the wood is nigh impossible. However, some alcohol and a wool cloth will help you — in combination with a huge amount of patience.

If your paint is oil-based, then you’ll need to get some mineral spirits to remove them from the wooden floor or surface. Still, you need to take care not to let the wood soak up a lot of these spirits; it will rot more easily in the long run.

Once you’re finished cleaning up, use some distilled water to gather any remaining residue off the surface. If you notice the wood losing color on the spot where you removed the paint, don’t worry— you can get finish repair pens that give your wood the touch-up it needs. Just find the right shade that matches your wooden surface area.

AND THAT'S A WRAP! We hope this guide was helpful to you and that you feel more confident about how to handle removing paint stains. Stay safe and have a good one, guys! 

Check out www.propaintcorner.com for more paint tips and for more information on updating your kitchen or bathroom on a budget, visit us at www.gianigranite.com.