How to get acrylic paint off vinyl floor

Vinyl flooring is similar to laminate flooring but it can stand up to moisture more. But it can’t stand up to paint that’s splattered or sprayed on it when you are doing painting, renovating, or just doing a DIY project at home. Getting paint off your vinyl flooring can be tricky because of the texture. But this article will make it easy for you to remove paint from vinyl flooring in 4 easy ways.

Paint splatter and overspray can ruin your day and your floor as well if you allow it to dry on your floor. Base on the paint you are using will depict how hard it will be to remove. 

If you are using spray paint, this will definitely need a solvent to remove it off your vinyl floor. Let’s tell you about the different types of paints.

Different Types Of Paint:

Before you try any of the cleaning methods below, you need to know what type of paint you were working with so you can choose the right cleaning methods below.

Latex Paint –  Latex paint is made of water for the most part and will be the easiest to remove from your laminate floors and vinyl floors because this type of paint has a small number of chemicals in it to damage the floor.

Acrylic Paint – Acrylic paint is a paint that requires you to use paint thinners and other strong cleaning solvents to get it off of a surface. This type of paint is made of chemicals and will stick to most surfaces like glue.

Best Way To Get Paint Off Vinyl Flooring

The best way to get paint off vinyl flooring is to clean it up as you spill it. Just by doing this, it will save you the headache of buying solvents and scrubbing your floor trying to save it. When the paint is dry all you need to do is clean it off with a piece of paper towel and then lightly scrub the area with a Mr. Clean magic eraser.

Tools Needed To Remove Paint:

The tools below are all the things you will need for every cleaning method below plus what I will list with each cleaning method.

• Gloves
• Mask
• Paint Scraper 
• Razor Blade
• Paper Towel
• Mr Clean Magic Eraser

How to Remove Paint From Vinyl Flooring

These are the best ways to remove dried or wet paint off the vinyl floor.

1. How To Get Dry Paint Off Vinyl Floor With Nail Polish Remover

Nail polish remover or acetone as some may call it is a very effective way to remove stain marks off surfaces like your floors and countertops. Nail polish remover isn’t as strong as paint thinner so it will be much safer to use on your vinyl floors without worrying about changing the color of your floor.

Steps To Take:

1. Remover obstacles around the area that has the paint on them so you can work more effectively. Find each spot that has paint and mark it if it is too much for you to remember. This will make it so that you don’t forget areas when you think you are done cleaning.

2. Pour a little nail polish remover on the Mr clean magic eraser and scrub the area in a circular motion until you see the paint having a faded color.

3. Now you can use a thick piece of paper towel and wipe the paint off your vinyl floor. If when you are finished wiping you still see paint repeat the process until it is gone.

4. Once all the paint has been gone. Give your floor a proper cleaning with some warm water to get off the nail polish smell and paint smell.

Also Read: How to get paint of laminate floor

2. Remove Paint Off Vinyl Flooring With Paint Thinner

Paint thinner is a strong product used to thin paint so that it can be applied to different surfaces. You can also use it to thin paint out to the point where you can wipe it off with a cloth or a piece of paper towel. But paint thinners have a very strong toxic smell to them so you will need to be wearing proper gloves, mask, and eye protection.

Steps To Take:

1. Clear the area and look for other things that the paint might have got on as well like plastic or your walls. Mark all the spots that have the paint with a sharpie so you don’t miss spots when you are finished cleaning.

2. Put on your gloves and other protections and pour some of the paint thinners on a piece of microbes cloth and wipe the area with it. Wipe in a circular motion so you do not end up spreading it more on the floor.

3. Keep wiping until the paint is loosened and then you can use a piece of paper towel and wipe the area clean. If chunks of paint is still on the floor, use the paint scraper or razor blade and get it off, Make sure to give the area a good wash when you are done so that you can get the paint thinner smell out of the house.

Also Read: How to Get paint off plastic

3. Use Dish Soap To Remove Paint Off Floor

This method is for latex paint that can be washed off with water and a little scrubbing. Dish soap can be used to clean a lot of things including your floors. It works great when breaking down grease and so does it on paint. All you need to do is fill a washing container with warm water and add a few tablespoons of dish soap and wipe the floor with a microfiber cloth.

When the cloth is dirty you can dip it in the water and wash it out and wipe the floor until the paint is gone.

Also Read: How to clean sticky floors

4. Using Rubbing Alcohol On Vinyl floors

Rubbing alcohol can clean both paints off a vinyl floor before it dries but it will need a little more elbow grease. Rubbing alcohol isn’t that acidic so you will need to leave it for a few minutes on the paint for it to start to break it down.

Steps To Take:

1. Clear the area and locate all the paint splatter or spill. Pour or spray a little rubbing alcohol on it and let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. Once the 10 minutes are up, use an Mr clean magic eraser and scrub the area with it until it is clean. Repeat the cleaning process if the paint is still on the floor.

How to Remove Dried Paint Off Vinyl Floor

The best way to remove dried paint off vinyl floors is to scrape it off with a razor blade or paint scraper if the paint dried in large chunks. This will make it much easier to wipe or scrub off depending on the type of paint it is. For latex paint spills, all you need to do is scrape the chunks off and wipe it clean with warm water.

For acrylic paint, you scrape it off as well but use some commercial solvent to clean what is remaining because this type of paint can get as hard as paint that you see on cars.

Also Read: How to remove paint from glass

What removes acrylic paint from vinyl?

How do you get dried paint off of vinyl flooring?

Does acrylic paint come off vinyl?

Does rubbing alcohol damage vinyl flooring?