It is general discussion after all.......

So, I have a house that some twa@! has painted without using drop sheets on what is most likely a Tassie Oak floor. I've tried metho, detergent and water and turps without success. I have on my list to try, acetone, rubbing alcohol and oxcylic acid (although my understanding is that it will bleach the floorboards). Does anyone have any experience of this and if so what did you do/use to remedy it. If I absolutely have to I will sand but the boards are in such good condition it would be a shame to sand unless no other option. Also has anyone sanded their own floors with a hire drum sander, edger etc. Did it go well is there any advice/tips you can offer?
Any advice/information appreciated.
Meg.

Consider using a "scarsen" (spelling?) scrapper. I used one to help finish the corners etc of rooms when sanding and the scrapper was good for tidying up specific small spots.
If you end up sanding, make sure that the sander is moving BEFORE the drum makes contact with the timber. If you lower the drum with the machine stationary it will sand a 'divot/groove' in about a second.
Sanding floors creates lots of dust. Suggest opening windows and setting up fans to extract air/dust.
Clear the tops of ceiling fan blades before you turn the fan on.
All the best :-)

If you care about the floor as much as you imply, DO NOT try to sand them with a drum sander, your chances of getting a reasonable (not great) result are about the same as winning lotto.

If it's just drips of acrylic paint, you may be able to take them off with a scraper (like a razor blade mounted in a handle). Tedious, but might work. Otherwise, I'd pay someone to sand - I've done it myself a couple of times now, and agree that it's hard to get a decent finish.

There is a product called goo off .
Its pretty good gets off everything.

Or maybe some graffiti cleaner .
If you do sand punch the nails down 1st .

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actiomax said..
There is a product called goo off .
Its pretty good gets off everything.

Or maybe some graffiti cleaner .
If you do sand punch the nails down 1st .

Yep, removes most stuff. Also try Rid which is a mosquito repellant. Removes lots of stuff too.
As an ex chippy my advice for sanding your own floors is leave it to the experts . Very easy to destroy a nice floor and the coatings aren't easy either. Good luck.

Used a drum sander on my brothers owner builder house, they go through sanding pads at a amazing rate and the whole house gets dusty as, AND we were just using on the bottom structural flooring before a floating floor went on they are extremely hard to control every time you change directions or whatever there'll be a big drum spin mark in that spot because they spin like crazy, like someone already mentioned I certainly would not use a drum sander on floor boards you admire.

I think a lot of this will depend upon how much paint (two drips like fingernail sized, or splatter along the skirting for 60 meters of wall? Quite a difference)

If the floor was well polished the paint may not have stuck well, sometimes it is surprising (like muck on a well polished car). My first port of call would be scraping at very shallow angle with a credit card. You pretty much can't damage the floor and paint may pop off easy.

Acetone will get off every common paint except for 2 pack. But it could also attack whatever was used on the floor - likely a single pack polyurethane that will only be ever so slightly more resistant to the acetone than the water based wall / ceiling paint.
I suspect anything that will easily dissolve the paint will also have a good go at attacking the floor finish.

So if it is 2 drips who cares, scraper, solvent whatever and fix the resultant tiny blemish with a clear spray varnish .

Lots of drips I reckon scraper only .... with great care.

Get a rug

if the floor was done properly then just the top coat of the clear needs to b sanded back & recoated. 180 220g screen baks under a polyvac will b enough. there should b 2 or 3 coats on the floor anyway. drum sanders are fine, its operator error that leaves dips, grooves or chatter marks lol lol lol.

The drips on the floor (should) be interior paint, something like a water based paint. Unless someone has used paint that is not meant to be used inside.
To remove said paint, try using 0001 steel wool, by hand. Failing that, try and find what paint was used and use the appropriate thinner, (sparingly). Don't slosh it on otherwise you'll remove the wood finish (lacquer).

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Rus13b said..
if the floor was done properly then just the top coat of the clear needs to b sanded back & recoated. 180 220g screen baks under a polyvac will b enough. there should b 2 or 3 coats on the floor anyway. drum sanders are fine, its operator error that leaves dips, grooves or chatter marks lol lol lol.

Yeah thats what I was getting at too. All this talk of sanders was a bit premature - there is only drips.
A little bit of surface scratching on a few proper coats of a floor varnish is acceptable, and easily fixed by the home handyman.... the O.P doesn't need to take back to bare wood...?

But Meg.... how much paint?

So...there is a lot of paint, imagine someone painting walls and ceiling without using any drop sheets at all. I have tried metho, turps and acetone with no impact, tried a scraper but I think it will damage the wood and some of the spatter isn't blobs but smears that won't come off with scraping anyway. I don't think I'm game to try drum sanding it myself and can't afford a professional at the moment, someone suggested hand sanding but I think that would just leave an uneven finish. The floor boards are raw with no finish, they were under old carpet and glued on underlay. I have a few more products to try to remove the paint with (trip to Bunnings next week some time) and as a last resort am considering possibly painting with white, give it that beach house feel.

Goo off said it before say it again .
But if there is floor boards are raw a heat gun would work .
Try your hair drier &scraper .
It might not get hot enough for the whole lot but you could test a bit .
I mean it might be to slow but its testable with hair drier.
But paint stripper would work goo off is a bit milder .
Or insure the place burn it to the ground .
Tragic hair drier accident .??

If the boards are raw then the paint wont just be on the boards, it will be in the timber grain aswell.
since there isn't anything between the paint & wood like clear coat or varnish.
How big is the area, how uneven are the floor boards, can u feel a lip on the edge of each board, running ya
hand across the boards? u could sand them yourself with a belt sander, just do a few boards a day or arvo
in a week u will have it pretty sweet. 36 or 40 to start & 80 - 100 to finish. the finer u go the more the grain
stands out. 120 - 220- 360 if u got the patience.

As it it raw timber, probably aged. Try paint stripper - the dirt, grime or oil may have stopped the paint getting into the grain. If the appearance is splotchy, think of white washing the floor. ie a very thin paint

Just sand it then seal it with cabots CFP + pay the extra and use the hardener.
ive never sanded a floor in my life, so watched Youtube a few times and yes I heard all the dribble
on builders forums about digging marks and crap like that. Truly there is some seriously
challenged people in this world and should never be allowed anywhere near power tools.
If not challenged Just watch youtube then head to Bunnings get a floor sander and save hundreds.

i just finished a full Reno had to replace floorboards under a kitch sink that rotted out and I couldn't stagger
the new boards. Knocked out the wall, plastered , painted ,sanded and sealed.



Before


After sanding and 1st coat.

this how it may look if u paid the extra few hundred

or just roll the carpet out again Meg

LOL And This is only 2nd coat of 3
Keep your money in your pocket.
any fool can do it.

That's 3 coats, water base gloss, not solvent base like yours. solvent base coatings change colour over time
from uv light. 2k water base has a uv protectant in the coat. no yellow or orange floor boards with
water base. put up a pic of the 3rd, its a gd job for just having a go & doing it.

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Rus13b said..
That's 3 coats, water base gloss, not solvent base like yours. solvent base coatings change colour over time
from uv light. 2k water base has a uv protectant in the coat. no yellow or orange floor boards with
water base. put up a pic of the 3rd, its a gd job for just having a go & doing it.

No probs , LOL NOW you put up the photo of THAT SPOT/ job with its 65 year old floorboards with 35 years
of absolute rental abuse (like in my first Photo) before massive sanding.
you know the kind of sanding that digs into floorboards with just the sight of a drum sander.

nice floor mate Ummmmm did they do secret nailing 65 years ago?

LOL comparisons of new V abused and you quibble over coatings Hahaha somebody get me a drink.

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Cobra said..

somebody get me a drink.

Phssssstt!! Here ya go!

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Buster fin said..

Cobra said..

somebody get me a drink.

Phssssstt!! Here ya go!

No it's ok I'll buy
i saved ****n heaps on my floor job.

no probs, pics of floors layed in the 1800's, that look like new floors.
that's the whole idea. lol lol lol

Hey Rus13b, that picture you posted of your old and new floor, the old, that is what my sunroom looks like, it was a later addition, the rest of the floor looks much, much better except for the paint!! I'm not a fan of a shiny finish or heaps of coatings, I'd like to just be able to get it clean, somehow and then maybe oil it, keep it as natural and matt as possible, the timber is currently a really nice color and tone, the condition is even and really good, the amount of damage is maybe four spots where it is a little cracked or water damaged. I've got a trip to Bunnings arranged for this week so I'll pick up some goo off and a few other things to try. If it can't be cleaned and restored I think I'll possibly white wash.

I think we all assumed you meant a few paint drips - little boo boos in a few spots, not the whole floor trashed.
Using any solvent on that will take weeks. Plus us will still have it in the grain. Floor sander or carpet are your options.

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Rus13b said..
no probs, pics of floors layed in the 1800's, that look like new floors.
that's the whole idea. lol lol lol

That's the way mate it's a fantastic job and I'm glad you're happy to pay the extra hundreds for it.

unless you didn't pay a cent and you do floors for a living and are totally butt hurt that I can achieve
the same results and happy to spread the word of "have a go if you think you can"

your last photo you posted of the old floor" not the new one" done by a professional making old look like new floors.
great job I'm not bagging it it's a fantastic job done by a true professional.



I just went over to my rental that my mother lives in. Pulled open the front sliding door in the doorway where it's the highest sun & traffic affected area in the house.
i just took this photo of the floor I did it's 18 months old now .
i can't get much closer for the photo. I'm not but hurt I saved hundreds.
like the thousands I saved restumping ,internal plumbing ,ceiling and walls hung & plastered ,tiles &waterproofing, walls KOd ,beams in,Full bathroom & kitchen built in robes, floors sanded coated , vinyl wet areas, skirts doors trims,painted.the only person or trade person that stepped into my place was the brother inlaw doing the sparkie
work.
like I said some people shouldn't be let near power tools and some are able to perform as good as any trade person. Just because someone has a paper to say they're a tradesmen don't make them a good one.

how's that drink tasting

Hey meg, if u get the spots clean then u will hav to clean the whole floor or u
will hav new looking spots all through the old looking floor. Timber deck wash will
bring out more colour without sanding but u should high pressure wash it off.
All the coats come in a matt finish, just depends if u like the laminated, plastic layer
look or a more uncoated look but still coated.