During repairs, you may encounter many unforeseen problems, for example, paint or dried thinset on the tile. Occasionally when you paint walls in your bathroom or any other place in your house, some paint can get onto your tile floor or grout even though you use masking tapes or any other covers. Removing paint from tile floor can actually seem a rather difficult problem.
In fact, there are several ways how you can get rid of paint from your tile floor and grout. We would like to cover the best methods how to remove paint from tile floor in our article below.
They are the following:
- applying a heat gun;
- wiping up the paint while it’s not dry;
- using a scraper;
- implementing a paint remover.
In this article we are going to describe the steps on how to implement each of these four methods. Another thing which we are going to discuss is how to get rid of paint on the grout on different occasions and some other features. The thing that you should always take into account is the type of the tiles or the grout as well as their surface.
We hope that this article will be extremely informative for you, and you will be able to find all the needed information to get rid of paint on your tile floor without any difficulties.
How To Remove Paint From Glass, Ceramic And Porcelain Tiles
The thing which everyone should take into account is that before we start using any available abrasive cleanser or paint stripper, the best idea is to test this thing in a little corner of a tile somewhere in a not so noticeable spot of the floor to make sure that the tile won’t be colored or even damaged by the instrument you are going to use. Moreover, if the tiles are glazed, you should check whether your scraper or utility knife won’t be harmful to the surface.
Using A Heat Gun Method
This way works for both unglazed and glazed tiles since the surface won’t be affected by a heat gun.
A heat gun happens to be a rather simple way to loosen up the paint which has already dried or which is older than thirty years. The things you will need are a heat gun itself, a dust mask, a utility knife or a plastic scraper, any damp cloth and a pair of rubber gloves. In fact, we advise everyone to use safety gear, dust masks and goggles when they work with different materials, abrasives and instruments to keep hands, eyes and skin safe.
The First Step – To Clean The Area And To Implement A Heat Gun
The thing that you should initially do is to get rid of dust and dirt from your tiles. Turning on your heat gun you use it on little areas of around one square foot at a time and move it back and forth trying not to scorch your tiles. You should act like this until the paint gets soft. When you succeed in softening the paint you may continue to the following step.
The Second Step – To Use A Utility Knife Or A Plastic Scraper
Following the first step, you need to take your scraper or a utility knife and hold it at a 45 degree angle to gently scrape the paint from your tiles beginning from the outer edge and moving to the middle.
The thing you should keep in mind is that you should be careful using the knife near the corners of the tile since you can chip the tile in the process. And, of course, you won’t be happy to scrape the glaze off your tiles. Therefore, you should use your instrument as gently as possible.
The Third Step – To Clean All The Left Paint With A Cloth Or A Sponge
During scraping the tiles every several minutes you are highly recommended to wipe down the area you have already worked on so as to remove all the paint with a damp rag without any issues. After that you can also use some warm water to clean the tile floor completely.
Using A Wiping Wet Paint Up Method
If you have noticed some paint draping or splattering onto your tile floor, the best idea is to get rid of it before it gets dry and hard. For this process you may need a sponge or some damp cloth, some type of solvents, including alcohol, vinegar, mineral spirit etc., or some dish soap.
The solvent you will need to use depends on the amount of the spilled paint, on the type of the paint as well as on the kind of the tiles on your floor.
The First Step – To Apply A Wet Sponge Or A Microfiber Cloth
First of all, you take a sponge or some damp cloth, make it wet and wipe up the paint from your tile. Some paint can actually go off the tiles but it won’t leave the floor if it’s already dry and hard.
The Second Step – To Use A Certain Kind Of Solvents
During this step you need to take into account the type of the paint which got onto your tiles since it will define the type of solvents you will need to implement. If you have used a latex or water-based paint, some soapy water created with dish soap will be enough.
If you have chosen an oil-based paint, you can apply such solvents as a mineral spirit, alcohol, thinner or vinegar. You only have to take some small amount of a solvent you have chosen, put it onto your cloth and then rub the solvent into your tiles until the paint lifts.
The Third Step – To Rinse Your Tiles
When you get rid of the paint using one of the solvents mentioned above, you should then remove it from your tiles using some warm water. We would recommend everyone not to use abrasive materials while wiping the floor since they can scratch and spoil the surface. Such materials include steel scouring cloths, wool pads and materials which contain ammonia.
Applying A Utility Knife Or A Scraper Method
This procedure is also suitable for both unglazed and glazed tiles on the floor. For it you will require a plastic scraper or a utility knife, a dust mask and some damp cloth. To remove the paint you need to follow the steps mentioned below.
The First Step – To Organise A Quick Test
If you are planning to use a scraper on glazed tiles, it’s highly recommended for you to do a simple test on some small area of your tiles to make sure that you won’t damage the glaze of the tile. Although you can definitely use a utility knife, it’s better to use a plastic scraper since it is safer for the tiles surface.
When you begin applying it, you do a small gentle scrape to a small piece of the tile somewhere in the corner. If you see the glaze starting to crack or flake after scraping, you are advised to choose some alternative method of getting rid of the stubborn paint on the tile floor, for instance, applying a solvent.
The Second Step – To Go Further If The Glaze Stays Normal
If you see that after the test everything stays the same and the paint goes off while the glaze stays intact, you should continue scraping to the moment when the paint gets completely removed.
The Third Step – To Wipe The Paint Off
After scraping all the paint from your tile floor you need to use a wet damp cloth so that your tile becomes clean. You can also wash the floor with some warm water if you want to clear the floor as completely as possible.
Applying Paint Thinner Method
This solution is also applicable to glazed as well as unglazed tile floors. If you see that there is rather a lot of paint on your tiles and it is challenging to remove it, a good idea is to try some paint remover to get rid of the not needed paint.
The range of paint removers available on the market is rather wide, and if you don’t know what paint remover to choose, you can get acquainted with the instructions on their labels as well as to ask shop assistants for advice or look through reviews on the Internet.
If you obtain glazed tiles, you need to try the Citristrip first of all since it usually doesn’t spoil the tiles surface. In fact, for this method there are several solutions available, including Citristrip, turpentine, alcohol or any general paint thinner.
Things which you can also need include a plastic scraper, a couple of dry pieces of cloth, rubber gloves, safety goggles and a dust mask, your paint thinner, some dish soap and Citristrip.
The First Step – To Make The Tiles Clean
In the beginning, you need to get rid of any dust and dirt on your tile floor. If you use any special cleaner for the floor, you need to apply a wet sponge or a damp cloth to remove all the left particles of the cleaner from the floor.
The Second Step – To Try The Paint Thinner
For this step you will need to put on all the safety gear you have prepared for the task. You should put some thinner onto your dry cloth and test it on a small piece of tile to make sure that it won’t damage your tile floor.
You should take into account the type of the thinner since some options can require several minutes to start being active. Usually the needed time is described on the label of the thinner. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to check the instruction of the paint remover you have chosen.
The Third Step – To Use A Knife Or A Scraper
After using a thinner you need to work with your utility knife or plastic scraper to get rid of the paint on the tiles surface. Again, don’t forget to do the scrape test before the procedure itself. And keep in mind that you should hold your scraper at a 45 degree angle.
The Fourth Step – To Make The Tile Floor Clean And Dry
After scraping all the paint off, you need to wipe the tiles off. Then you take some soapy water and wash the floor, after which you make the tiles dry.
Useful Information: How to Remove Paint From Tile Floor in Seconds
In this video, you will find two ways to remove paint from tiles or a tiled floor.
How You Can Remove Paint From The Tile Grout
Getting rid of paint from your tile grout is rather difficult especially if the grout is porous, or unsealed. So it’s very important to take into account the type of the grout when removing paint from it.
Working With Unsealed Grout
Unsealed grout requires gentle ways to remove paint so that the grout itself won’t be damaged. Therefore, removing paint from unsealed grout can be rather challenging.
Wiping The Paint Up
When the paint is rather fresh and hasn’t become dry yet, to remove the paint you can just use a soapy cloth or paint thinner to wipe the not needed paint up. If the paint happens to be oil-based, you need to act rapidly since the surface of the grout can soak up the paint too fast and you won’t be able to clean the paint up and require scraping and re-grouting the place.
In case your paint is water-based it’s also possible to wipe the paint up if it’s not dry.
Using Epoxy On The Grout
If you wouldn’t like to regrout the floor, you should also take into account that you can apply a colored epoxy to your grout. With the help of the epoxy you will be able to restore the color of your grout as well as seal the grout surface. To do this you can take a simple toothbrush and put the epoxy onto your grout. You have to wait only for an hour until the epoxy is dry.
As a result, you grout will be renewed and won’t have any undesirable paint marks.
Getting Rid Of Paint From Sealed Grout
This task is much easier than to remove paint from unsealed grout as the paint doesn’t go inside the grout and just stays on its surface.
Wiping The Paint Up
If you have noticed some paint being spilled onto the grout, you can easily get rid of it before it becomes dry and hard. The only thing you will need is a simple damp cloth which you can use to wipe the spilled paint up.
If you wish you can apply some warm and soapy water to wash the paint away, which will be definitely useful if you or anyone else has spilled an oil-based paint. You should do some short and quick motions to prevent the paint from spreading to other spots of the tiles and grout.
Using Rubbing Alcohol
The good method of blotting out the paint is applying rubbing alcohol. In fact, alcohol usually acts as an efficient paint remover. To remove the paint you just need to dip the damp cloth into the alcohol, put it onto the paint and rub until the paint comes off.
Implementing Commercial Solvents
Some particular commercial solvents are produced to get rid of latex-based paints. They work well on the sealed grout and are usually used in that way. Nevertheless, it’s highly recommended to do some quick test on a small area to make sure that the solvent won’t spoil and damage the grout or the tile nearby.
Most of the solvents available on the market can be applied to the grout with a damp cloth. But we would recommend to check the label of the paint remover you are going to use in order to understand how you can apply it. In addition to this, you can use a toothbrush if the paint is too stubborn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we would like to cover several questions which people ask concerning getting rid of paint from floors and grouts.
How To Deal With Paint On Terracotta Tiles?
Terracotta tiles are widely known for their high absorption rate compared to other types of tiles such as porcelain or ceramic, even though terracotta tiles are technically also ceramic. This means that a paint which is water-based or an additive will be rapidly absorbed into the surface of the terracotta tiles and will make a rather challenging task to be removed if the tiles are unglazed.
Therefore, if you need to get rid of paint from this type of tile, you can act the same way as you would do if the tiles were ceramic or porcelain, but you will need to act really fast.
If you understand that applying soapy water, a simple toothbrush, or some of the natural or commercial solvents, you can try sanding down the tiles with the use of fine-grit sandpaper.
You just need to sand a little bit the stained spot and then implement your brush to get rid of the undesirable paint. After that you use some soapy water to clean the tiles. This procedure should be repeated until the paint is removed to the end.
How To Get Rid Of Paint From Tiles Using Natural Solvents?
If you are looking for eco-friendly solutions to your paint problems, you can change commercial solvents to a mix of white vinegar and water in equal proportions. This mixture can be applied with the use of a damp cloth or a soft brush, and you should work with it until the paint comes off the tile. After that you just clean your tiles with some soapy water, and apply some more water to rinse the tile floor.
Another way you can use this natural remedy is to boil vinegar. After boiling you need to soak a clean cloth on the vinegar and place it onto the paint on the tiles. The warm or even hot vinegar works well in softening the paint. After it you can use a plastic scrubber to scrape the left paint and repeat this procedure until all the tiles are clean.
Is Turpentine Efficient Against Paint On The Tiles?
In fact, turpentine is highly effective as a paint thinner and can be used to remove paint. You just need a little amount, and after using it you have to wash right away your tiles with soapy warm water. You should take into account that turpentine obtains some poisonous chemicals, so you need to use safety gloves and a ventilation mask when you apply turpentine. Therefore, it also works as a paint remover.
Can We Paint The Already Painted Tiles?
It is possible, although it can be rather challenging. The thing which you need to do is to prepare the surface really well using a primer to which the paint will get bonded, otherwise the paint will go off the tiles in some time.
How To Get Rid Of Paint From Wooden Floors?
The easiest way to get rid of paint from wood is to sand the spilled paint off. In fact, if you have to clear a small area, it’s a good idea to use sandpaper sheets, while if the big area should be cleaned, it’s highly recommended to use a special electric sander.
Another way to get rid of a small paint stain on polished wood, you can apply a lacquer thinner. Don’t forget to put on rubber gloves to keep your hands safe. You just have to put a bit of the thinner onto a clean cloth or a cotton ball and then dab the stain. Then you wait from five to ten minutes for the spilled paint to soften. The last thing which you have to do is to gently scrape the paint with a scraper.
In Closing
We have covered several questions concerning removing paint from tiles and the grout. You can see that there are a few useful methods which can be applied, but you should consider the tiles or the grout itself, the material of which they are made and their surface.
You don’t need many instruments to get rid of the paint: they include a damp rag or cloth, some warm water as well as soapy warm water, a plastic scraper or a utility knife, and a paint thinner or a paint remover if needed.
We hope that this article describing how to remove paint from tile floor will be extremely helpful for you and the spillage of paint onto your tile floor won’t be a serious problem and you will easily remove paint from your tile floor.
