Sharing is caring!

How to Remove Paint From Floor Tiles

This has happened to the majority of us who have done a renovation job at home or just want to repaint some of the walls. Removing paint from tiles can be a daunting task if you do not have the right tools and the right knowledge about tiles.

Getting the paint off the tile is one thing but when it gets into the grout joint can be the hardest. But with this article, you will find it really easy to clean paint off tiles if you spill it or just splatter it all over the place.

Types Of Tiles 

As an ex-tile installer, I have installed a lot of tiles and most of what I install in-house are ceramic tiles or porcelain tiles. Knowing the difference between the two can prevent you from scraping them.

Ceramic Tiles– Ceramic tiles are made of clay and hardened by heat and will have a glossy look to them. The drawback of ceramic tiles is that they are not as strong as porcelain tiles. They are more vulnerable to wear and scratches. With these tiles, you have to be careful when scraping the paint off them.

Porcelain Tiles– The major difference between ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles is how they are made. Porcelain tiles are made by a mixture of certain clay fused with other natural materials and placed under tremendous heat. This makes them very durable and resistant to liquid. These tiles are hard to scratch so use a lot of energy and different tools on them.

How To Remove Paint From Tile

These are the tools you will need to use when cleaning any of the tiles using any of the cleaning methods below.

Tools Needed:

• Paint Scraper 
• Dust Mask
• Cleaning Cloth
• Mr Clean Magic Eraser
• Paper Towel
• Scrub Brush Or Toothbrush

 

1. Scrape The Paint Off

Let us say you are painting a wall and you didn’t cover the place with paper or plastic and you took up too much paint on the paintbrush and it spilled on the tile floor. This will dry into a chunk of paint that will require you to scrape it off.

Before you begin to scrape it off. Check to make sure what type of tiles you have so you know what amount of pressure to use on it the tile.

Steps To Take:

1. Remove everything around the area including the paint container so you do not spill it over the tiles again. If more than 1 area has paint on it, make the spots with a sharpie so that you do not miss a spot.

2. Take the paint scraper or razor blade and hold it at an angle and slide it underneath the paint on the floor. You will feel some resistance but slowly go back and forth with the scraper until the paint starts to lift up.

3. When you get all the large chunks off. Take your time and scrape the smaller chunks off until the floors are clean. To clean the grout joints that have paint in them, use the scraper and scrape off the paint. You might have to dig a little but this won’t take out the grout. If the grout joint is vertical, hold the scraper in a vertical direction and scrape it out.

Also Read: How to clean shower tiles without scrubbing at all

2. Use Paint Remover / Thinner

By using paint thinner or remover. You will need to wear a proper mask and gloves because this product is very acidic and will hurt you if it gets not your body or a cut. The paint thinner will break down the paint in seconds and allow you to wipe it off without scrubbing the tiles are the grout joints.

To do this all you need to do is pour a generous amount of paint thinner on the paint on the tile floor and let it sit for 1 minute. Use a microfiber cloth and wipe the paint until it comes off.

You can use a piece of paper towel to clean the floor up if the cloth has too much paint on it. Once the paint has come off give the floor a proper cleaning and washing with warm water to remove the paint thinner smell that will be there.

3. Use Nail Polish Remover 

Using nail polish remover on your tile floors to get paint off is similar to how you would use paint thinner. The nail polish remover has a less harsh smell to it so it is more pleasant to use but you will need to use more of it because it is not as strong as the paint thinner.

For a spot on your tile that has paint on it wider than 5 inches, you will need at least two bottles of nail polish remover/acetone to get the paint off effectively. What you will need to do is pour a generous amount of nail polish remover on the paint splatter or spots and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Once the 20 minutes are up. Use thick pieces of paper towels and wipe the paint off until the floor is clean. You may go through a good amount of paper towels so have them prepared. For the grout joints, use a sponge or Mr clean magic eraser to get the paint out of the grout.

Now that you have gotten all of the paint off the tile floor. Give the floor a proper cleaning with some dish soap or whatever cleaning products you use on your tile floors.

Also Read: How to soften grout for removal

4. Wash The Tile Floor Off

This method is only to be used when you decide to clean off the paint off your tile floor within seconds of it getting on it. This method is the most effective way to get paint off tile floors because the paint is wet and will not get the time to dry and set on the tiles especially if the tile is porcelain tile with a texture.

What you will need to remove the paint off tiles is a large container filled with warm water and 4 tablespoons of dawn dish soap in it. Use paper towels to clean up the majority of the paint and then use a wet microfiber cloth with warm water and dawn dish soap and clean the area. That is it, your tiles will be super clean and you won’t be worried about scrapping the tiles.

Also Read: How to clean oil paint brushes

Conclusion:

The best way to get paint off tile floors is to clean it up as it spilled. And you should cover your floors with paper or cardboard whenever you are painting to prevent this scenario from happening again and give you the headache of ruining your tiles by scratching them.

Sharing is caring!