Hey everyone! We just moved into a lovely 50's house and uncovered some hardwood and parquet flooring under the old carpet. Unfortunately, it seems like the previous owners painted the room without using any drop cloths, leaving a significant amount of paint overspray all over the parquet floor—except for a small area that's still clear. We planned to sand and refinish the floors since we didn't know their original finish, which appears to be somewhat waxy. Before we dive into a complete rip-up, I'm curious: what methods have you used to successfully get paint off parquet without damaging the finish? I've read that starting with a mix of dish soap and water along with a plastic scraper might help. I'm also considering Murphy's Oil Soap or cleaning sprays designed for paint. Any advice?
2 Answers
If the paint has been sitting for a while, it's probably pretty stuck. You could try the methods you mentioned, but be warned that sanding might be your best bet in the end. Just steer clear of chemical strippers—they'll take the finish off along with the paint.
Honestly, scraping it might be your best bet and then re-waxing the floor afterward. Chemicals will likely do more harm than good. You shouldn’t need to sand at all!
That's exactly what I'm hoping for! But I fear we're going to get a solid arm workout scraping all that paint off!