Remove Acrylic Paint from Wood
Acrylic paint is water-based and should be easy to remove from wood especially if it is still fresh. Try to deal with the paint spill immediately as it happens. Dried or old acrylic paint can be removed from wood but in most cases the finish of the wood will also come off during the removal process.
Contents
Steps
Fresh Acrylic Paint Stain
- Wipe the fresh acrylic paint with a wet cloth. Try to remove as much paint as you can. Change the cloth when needed.
- Moisten a cloth with hot water and put some glycerin soap on it.
- Scrub the remaining paint gently with the soapy cloth. Keep on scrubbing and add more soap until all the paint is gone.
- Wipe the area with a damp cloth to remove the soap residue.
- Use a dry cloth or towel to dry the area.
- Wax or polish the wood surface if needed.
Dried or Old Acrylic Paint Stain
- Scrape the dried paint with a putty knife or a paint scraper. Remove as much paint as you can without damaging the wood.
- Rub the remaining paint using a steel wool (number 0000) or a fine sandpaper. Do this very gently to remove only the paint.
- Apply some alcohol on a cloth.
- Rub gently the remaining acrylic paint with the cloth. Keep adding alcohol on the cloth and keep on rubbing until all the paint is gone. Change the cloth when needed.
- Moisten a clean cloth with a bit of water and wipe the area with it to remove all the remaining residue.
- Dry the surface with a dry towel.
- Refinish the affected area after 24 hours, if needed.
Tips
- You can use acetone instead of alcohol.
- Use only gentle soap for wood.
- To remove acrylic paint from the entire surface of a wood furniture, use a commercial paint stripper for water-based paints and follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to use the product.
Things You'll Need
- Soft cloth or towel
- Putty knife or paint scraper
- Glycerin soap
- Steel wool (number 0000) or a fine sandpaper
- Alcohol
- Wax or wood polish - optional
