Hey All-
The painters just finished redoing my bungalow exterior, but to my dismay and surprise there are a number of “clean up” issues:
1) White latex paint droppping/drips on brown asphalt shingles on front and side of house
2) White latex paint droppping/drips on orignial stone/mortar chimney
3) White latex paint droppping/drips on copper flashing around chimney
The painters are coming back tomorrow to “clean up” but I want to be informed of dos/don’t for rectifing this. The mess is visable from over 100 feet away and is more than a stray drop or two (looks like someone forgot to lay tarps in certain sections), so I do want it fixed, but don’t want them to do something that we’ll regret…e.g. disovling the shingles with a chemical, ruining the stone/copper etc.
Please send me any advice for good way to have the paint removed. Thanks so much!
Replies
They didn't "forget" to use drop clothes - they were just too damn lazy. Don't pay them until it is cleaned up or you can forget about it getting cleaned.
And I don't have much suggestion for how. The way to clean it up is to not slop it all over things.
If it hasn't baked too hard yet, some citrus paint remover may do it OK without damaging things.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks.
I try to give the benefit of the doubt, but you are likely right.
Fortunately I've only paid 1/3 to date, so they will come back.
Razor blades to get the bulk of it and then try a product called "Goo Gone" available at hardware and sewing stored to remove all kinds of sticky stuff.
http://www.magicamerican.com/products_gg.aspx
I've never had it hurt a substrate, even plastic, but i'm not sure about the asphalt shingles. It will be fine on stone and metal, though the metal will probably have to re-oxidize to match. I've used GG with a soft cloth or a Scotch-brite pad, depending on what i was cleaning.
Thank you- that stuff looks good.
Another thing that will clean up latex is denatured alcholo. It will even get old paint.I have been working on a 50 YO house that appears to have the orginal stained trim. And orginal wallpaper.But a few years ago the it was painted, right over the wall paper, and the job was sloppy. with some getting on the trim. The worse was a couple of swaps across the face.I was able to get a signicant amount off with the Goof Off and the denatured alcholo.But I had to be carefull with how hard I worked at it as I started getting some color off the trim.But for "fresh paint" have had not had any problems with water and rubbing/scraping.For something like this I would use a plastic scrapper and brisle scrub brush for the copper and stone along with water.The shingles is going to be more of a problem. You don't want to have an mechanical action on them.The denatured alcholo might work on that..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Alcohol outdoors wouldn't be a problem since shellad isn't an exterior finish, but if you were getting stain off interior trim, it's likely it was a shellac topcoat you were removing.As you metioned, it's fresh paint. Lots easier to get that off. I was also thinking that a heat gun on the stone and copper would zip it right off, too. Those shingles....aye, there's the rub. I've actually just painted over drips with felt markers...<hangs head in fine homebuilding shame>
I think that I might have been getting off some finish, but it did not seem sticky as if it was shellac.I think a lot of what I was getting off was dirt. But it is a real guess.The area does not look any the worse for wear.But It was a try a little in a corner and then try a little more, but not too much..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
There's "Goo Gone" and then there's "Goof Off".
Goo Gone is a relatively mild solvent that won't harm most finishes but probably is bad for shingles -- if used on shingles it should be used sparingly and blotted up fairly quickly.
Goof Off is a much stronger solvent (methyl ethyl ketone) that is particularly effective for dissolving latex paint. It needs to be used with a fair bit of care -- definitely don't pour it on shingles, but just dab the actual paint spots with the stuff.
In some cases, after removing the bulk of the paint (but leaving a "ghost"), it may be best to simply paint the surface to match its surroundings -- a little dab of brown on the shingles, a little dab of red on brick.
Some of the cleaning may remove the patina from the copper, but unless a strong acid or some such is used it won't be permanently damaged. The stone/mortar likewise shouldn't be damaged unless vast amounts of the chemicals are used.
Thanks for the clarification of the two products. I probably would have suggested the wrong one.
Lets keep my fingers crossed the guys do this well.
It sounds like from the advice that troubling area might be the shingles. I've read that they might "melt" if cleaner is applied. Is the next best opiton here to replace the damaged ones?
Depends on who's doing the replacing. Don't trust painters to do roofing.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Thanks. I'll bring in someone else if it comes to that.
Everyone- Thanks for the quick and helpful responses. I'll let you know how this truns out:)
Trust NOT painters ON the roofing, either. They think roof jack nails don't leave holes...
I find cleanup best done right after the paint has cured, i.e. a day. Plastic acraper and fingernails get most of it, with the balance scraped ( pulled instead of pushed) off with a sharp utility blade. Denatured alcohol may actually make the paint "bleed" into the pores of the shingles.Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." -- George Washington
<<Goof Off is a much stronger solvent (methyl ethyl ketone)...>>Are you sure "Goof Off" = MEK?I've know two people to have some rather adverse effects from using MEK.
That's my recollection.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
I think you're mistaken. <G>Goof Off (xylene)is a bit stronger than Goo Gone (citrus oils), but MEK is a whole 'nuther level of nastiness.
May be. And may be I'm thinking of "Oops!", another spot paint remover.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
And on a related note, what's the best way to remove fully cured acrylic paint from oil paint? This is actually not about home building at all (someone defaced an oil painting belonging to my fiance with acrylic paint), but since some of you guys know paints, I just thought I'd ask.
Rebeccah
"Oops!" or "Goof Off" would probably do it, and rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol would likely work too, though not as well. But one of course needs to be VERY careful -- try whatever chemicals you're using on the margin area behind the frame first, and use Q-tips or whatever to get the chemical ONLY on the offending paint.Note that sometimes oil paintings have a top coat of a sort of varnish, making this task easier.Of course, if the painting is at all valuable a conservator should be consulted.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Doing a little web searching for ingredients:Oops! http://www.epinions.com/content_143687192196
--------------------------------------------------
Ethyl Alcohol CAS #64-17-5; VM&P Naptha CAS #8032-32-4; Xylene CAS #1330-20-7; Monochloro Toluene CAS # 25168-05-2. Volatile Organic Content (VOC) less than 810 grams per liter. Goof Off http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/safety/MSDS/GOOFOFF.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredient: XYLENE (SARA 313) (CERCLA). VP:6.60. LEL:1.00% Percent: 90-95
Ingredient: METHANOL (SARA 313) (CERCLA). VP:96. LEL:5.50% Percent: 1-3
Ingredient: ETHANOL, 2-(2-METHOXYETHOXY)-; (DIETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOMETHYL ETHER) Percent: 1-5Goo Gone http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=13009002
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients from MSDS/Label
Chemical CAS No / Unique ID
Solvent naphtha, petroleum, heavy aliphatic 064742-96-7
Terpenes and Terpenoids, type citrus oil 068917-57-7
Yeah, I tried to get the info off the Goof Off web site, but they'll only let it go out of their tight-fisted fingers if you give them the precise UPC code for the product. Not exactly friendly to, say, a doc looking up the info in the case of a poisoning.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Rebeccah
If the painting means something to you, and I assume it does, I would take it to someone that restores paintings. I don't mean the art restorer down at the museum, he/she's probably pretty expensive, but sometimes if your in a fairly populated area you can find someone that could do this without further damage. Check art shops that deal with paintings, they should know someone.
Damn Cretin that would deface a painting, what's the world coming to!
Doug
Edited 7/3/2007 9:51 pm ET by DougU