How To Remove House Paint From A Car Quickly!

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If you have accidentally got house paint on your car, you might be wondering how you can remove this and what the best options are. Since car paint jobs can be very expensive, it’s important to make sure you know what you’re doing before you start trying to strip off paint of any kind, or you may damage the undercoat and make the car look even worse – so be careful. If in doubt, you may find that it’s better to get an expert to help with the car, rather than trying to do it yourself.

You also need to figure out what kind of paint you are dealing with if you’re going to be successful in getting rid of it, as different paints will respond to being removed in different ways, and you’ll have to choose your removal chemicals accordingly. How thoroughly waxed your car is may also have an impact on how well the paint sticks, as wax will prevent it from bonding with the metal and may make it come off the car more easily.

Removing paint from your car might be challenging because you don’t want to strip the car’s own layer of paint off, so avoid grabbing the chemicals that you would normally pick up to get rid of paint – such as turpentine and white spirit. In this article, we’ll cover some of other options to try. Let’s look at how to remove house paint from a car.

Can You Get House Paint Off A Car?

On the whole, it is very difficult to remove house paint from a car once it has dried fully, especially if the car’s own coat of paint is old and likely to be easily stripped off by the standard paint removal products. Of course, this will depend on the kind of paint you have got on the car; if it’s a water based paint, you are more likely to be able to remove it than an oil based paint, although there’s still no guarantee. The most important thing to do when you’re trying to get the paint off is to test in an inconspicuous area so that you can see how the car’s paint responds to the chemical.

You should take the time to ascertain what kind of paint has got on the car. If it’s a latex based paint, you may need to buy a special removal product from your local store, although you will still need to test whether this damages the existing paintwork or not.

You may be able to use products such as acetone and or rubbing alcohol, as these are both relatively gentle products that have a fairly low chance of taking the car’s own layer of paint off. They may be able to shift house paint, especially if it has recently got onto the car and not had too much time to set there. 

How Do You Remove House Paint From A Car?

If you’ve got house paint on your car, you should try to remove it as soon as you realize that it is there; this gives you the best chance of getting it off without damaging the rest of the paintwork. If you can wipe it off before the paint has sealed to the undercoat, it will usually prove fairly easy to remove with a cloth and some water (or a mild solvent if it’s an oil-based paint). However, this depends upon you noticing it before the paint has had time to dry.

If the paint has already dried, you will probably need to work a lot harder to remove the paint, and you should be aware that all the removal options carry a risk of damaging your car’s actual paintwork. Don’t put anything on the car without testing it against the paintwork in an inconspicuous area first, and be prepared to have the paint redone by professionals, at least in the affected area.

You should opt for a soft cloth and rubbing alcohol for your first attempt, as this is the least likely to damage the car’s paintwork. Apply the rubbing alcohol directly to the cloth and then use it to wipe over the affected area with firm strokes. Don’t use an abrasive cloth, and don’t scrape, or you risk damaging the car’s paint and possibly even its body, which could be expensive to repair.

How To Remove Paint Spots From Car Glass

Fortunately, getting paint spots off car glass can be easier than getting paint off the main body, because you won’t have a coat of paint that you need to preserve. However, you do need to be careful to ensure that you don’t scratch the glass or cause any damage to it while you’re working, so don’t try to scrape paint off with metal tools. Again, try to determine what kind of paint is on the glass before you start removing it, as this gives you the best chances of success.

If the paint is oil based, choose acetone or something like WD-40; if the paint is water based, you may be able to remove it with some strong detergent and warm water. You should start by thoroughly covering the window in soapy water, as this may help to soften the paint and should reduce the risk of you scratching the glass. When the window is ready, get a sponge and begin to rub firmly at the paint.

Once the paint has softened a bit, use a rubber or plastic scraper to try to loosen the paint, pressing it against the edges repeatedly until you manage to get the edges to peel. You may find that the paint comes off easily once you have softened the edges, or you may have to keep rubbing.

Does Removing House Paint From A Car Damage The Car Paint?

Unfortunately, there is a high risk that removing house paint from your car will damage the paint beneath and cause problems, especially if the paint is oil based or very firmly stuck. You may have to resort to more caustic chemicals or stronger scrubbing tools, but these may dissolve, damage, or scratch the paint, and you need to be aware of this risk before you start trying to get the paint off. However, if the paint is ruining your car’s appearance, you may wish to take this risk.

In some situations, the only way to remove house paint from your car may be to strip the car back to its metal, removing both the house paint and the car paint. You can then prime the metal and start again, but this is not an ideal solution if you are struggling to get rid of house paint on a car, and it often involves a lot more work.

Removing house paint from a car won’t always damage the car paint, however, and as long as you have thoroughly tested the chemical you’re using in an inconspicuous area, you should be okay to proceed. If the paint is spoiling the car’s aesthetic anyway, it may not matter whether or not you ruin the paint underneath, as there’s no alternative except trying.

Is It Better To Get A Professional To Remove House Paint From A Car?

If you can afford to, it is much better to get a professional to remove house paint from your car, as this reduces the risk of you accidentally damaging the bodywork at the same time as trying to remove the paint, and it involves far less work for you. A professional is likely to have access to a range of suitable paint removal chemicals, and may be far better equipped to get rid of the paint without removing the layer beneath.

If the car’s paintwork does get damaged, the professional will generally also have the means to solve this by repriming and repainting that area. Discuss this in advance so you know whether you will be expected to pay more if this happens, or whether it will be covered by the firm’s insurance and policies. You don’t want to find that you’re paying extra to paint a car because the firm hasn’t been careful enough with it, so bear this in mind.

You might want to try removing the house paint yourself first using soapy water and a soft cloth, as this should not damage the car’s paint, so you have nothing to lose. If you find that you can’t remove the paint using this method, it may be best to pass it to professionals so you don’t risk damaging the car’s paintwork.

Conclusion

If you’re wondering how to remove house paint from your car, this can be quite challenging, but soapy water and a mild solvent such as rubbing alcohol may do the trick. Make sure you test products before you put them on the car, and only use a soft cloth to buff with, rather than anything abrasive. If you can’t get paint off easily using mild solvents, you should book your car into a garage so that someone else can remove the paint for you.