Q&A for How to Remove Paint from Wood

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What tool do you use to scrape paint?

Sarah Fogle
DIY Specialist
Sarah Fogle is a DIY Home Improvement Specialist and the creator of Ugly Duckling House. With over a decade of experience, Sarah specializes in beginner-friendly home remodeling projects. Sarah holds an MBA from Georgia State University. She has been featured in multiple publications including Better Homes and Gardens and Make Magazine. She has also partnered with brands such as Lowe's, Home Depot, and Martha Stewart Crafts.

Sarah Fogle

DIY Specialist

Expert Answer

You can use a scraper, or make a DIY scraper with a piece of cardboard. This way, you can just throw it out once you're done using it.

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Question

What removes residue after stripping paint?

Sarah Fogle
DIY Specialist
Sarah Fogle is a DIY Home Improvement Specialist and the creator of Ugly Duckling House. With over a decade of experience, Sarah specializes in beginner-friendly home remodeling projects. Sarah holds an MBA from Georgia State University. She has been featured in multiple publications including Better Homes and Gardens and Make Magazine. She has also partnered with brands such as Lowe's, Home Depot, and Martha Stewart Crafts.

Sarah Fogle

DIY Specialist

Expert Answer

Sandpaper should do the trick! Go over any leftover spots with a sheet to clear away the paint residue.

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Question

Removed 50+ years of carpet from oak floor. There is white paint smeared on the floor. Sander won't remove the paint. Any ideas?

Community Answer

Try a paint stripper and use as directed. This should remove most paint; if some is still left, try sanding again.

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Question

Does water based paint stain the wood, and can it be removed down to the bare wood?

Donagan

Top Answerer

It does not technically "stain" the wood. You can use a chemical paint remover (the easiest method), or scrape or sand the paint off. With a paint remover, you will probably wind up doing some sanding, too.

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I have a brand new house where the painter did a very poor job of taping off the baseboards. The top edge of all the baseboards are covered in latex paint. It's been about 8 weeks since painted. How can I remove this paint from the top edge of the baseboards without ruining the lacquer underneath?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Lacquer or latex? If it looks really bad, repaint the top edges with a matching latex or lacquer. If it's latex paint on top of a lacquer base, you may be able to very carefully scrape the latex off using a scraper or utility knife.

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Question

How do I remove paint splatters from a wood door that has only been stained?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Sand it with a medium grit, or very carefully scrape it.

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Question

How can I remove paint splatter from varnished wood?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Use a scraping tool. You may damage the varnish, but that can be repaired with fresh varnish.

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Question

Can I use a pressure washer to remove severely peeling paint from a fence?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Yes.

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Question

My crank-out windows were painted shut. Now there is a white line around them. How do I remove the paint?

Community Answer

Use a window zipper, perhaps a bit of acetone would help, too. If you have not used a window zipper to open up painted shut windows, you are in for a pleasant surprise.

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Question

What are some ways I can remove thick paint from my desk?

Community Answer

If the thick paint is due to multiple coats of different paint, the heat gun method above can help get multiple layers up at once without having to sort out the different paint types. If it's one thick coat, use the chemical method and carefully experiment with extending the saturation period if the instructions are insufficient.

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Question

Can you use a power washer?

Donagan

Top Answerer

If the paint is deteriorating and chipping off, a power washer might work. Otherwise, probably not.

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Question

How can you remove paint from glass?

Donagan

Top Answerer

A single-edge razor blade is best.

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