Paint overspray on concrete.

[Coleman396]

Hi Guys,
A couple weeks back I hired a guy to paint my garage ceiling and walls. When we spoke I made it clear that I only wanted those areas painted.

The painter assured me that everything would be masked off and covered with plastic to avoid anything getting over spray on it. As he said"it will look like a crime scene".

So, two weeks later I come home to what would have been a crime scene had he been available for me to get my hands on him! He tried but only half heartedly to protect everything from over spray. I called him and informed him that a stop payment would be placed on the check I wrote.

So now, I need to know how to remove this two week old paint. Anyone have some idea? It must a mix of oil based primer and latex paint.

There are not huge areas but the shop is brand new and this is just unacceptable to me. My plan is to seal the concrete once the slab is warm enough but I refuse to seal over a mess someone else made.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Perhaps a torch and then a fine wire brush?

 

[socapots]

You have the guy who made the mess clean it up so you can pay him.

 

[koditten]

I use flap disk on my hand grinder. Kinda dusty, but works good, IMHO. You may not like the look. The disks take the paint right off and makes it look like bright, new concrete. I have to do this in the summer because it makes lots of concrete dust.

KO

 

[Big-Foot]

I would try a pressure washer - you'd be amazed at what 3500 PSI will do!

Otherwise, I would call the local Sherwin Williams paint store, ask for suggestions..

 

[BrianC636]

I have latex all of my garage floor currently. What I did was spray it water and a let it sit for an hour or so (making sure it didn't dry) to soften it up, then took the pressure washer to it.

Came up pretty easy.

 

[stovebolter46]

I would try a pressure washer - you'd be amazed at what 3500 PSI will do!

Otherwise, I would call the local Sherwin Williams paint store, ask for suggestions..

Don't get it too close though, I have chipped up concrete with a pressure washer.

 

[purplezr2]

Gun cleaner(paint gun) will take it off a the floor. We use to have a chemical at a place I worked that was used for clean up over spray and removing tar from rims, started with an X. I have even had luck with brake cleaner/acetone.

 

[Vinci]

Gun cleaner(paint gun) will take it off a the floor. We use to have a chemical at a place I worked that was used for clean up over spray and removing tar from rims, started with an X. I have even had luck with brake cleaner/acetone.

Xylene?

 

[purplezr2]

Xylene?

I beleieve that is it, takes paint off just about anything

 

[4xdog]

A relatively strong solvent like toluene or xylene will certainly soften latex or oil-based paints. But I'd go with the pressure washer first without anything. Unless they did a *very* good job of cleaning the floor before they got overspray on it, the adhesion won't be all that great. There's probably more risk of overwashing it than underwashing, as stovebolter46 noted.

I've used my pressure washer on paint that's years (or decades) old, and it's come up like nuthin'. I think you'll be fine with little effort.

 

[HellaFab]

Wouldnt that amount of water damage the gypsum?

 

[csp]

A very mild muriatic acid solution followed by a quick rinse and pressure wash.

 

[JakeKohl]

I'm with the guy that said to get the painter back and let him fix it...then pay him the money. That is, unless you've really ticked him off by now.

 

[foamer01]

This is pretty cool (no pun intended).

http://www.ehow.com/how_7891475_co2-blast-cleaning.html

 

[24X26]

I'm with the guy that said to get the painter back and let him fix it...then pay him the money. That is, unless you've really ticked him off by now.

With a healthy deduction for not doing the job properly in the first place of course.

 

[bdamico]

pressure washer easy fix

 

[spotco2]

Denatured alcohol cuts latex paint very well.

 

[06 DIESEL]

Make him come back and clean it. Nothing else will do for me. If I paid for it to be done I paid for it to be done correctly. If he refuses then deduct your cleaning fee from him, plus stop payment fee, and send him his money that is left.

 

[JakeKohl]

With a healthy deduction for not doing the job properly in the first place of course.

His deduction is the time spent to come back to clean it up...included in the original price.

 

[NUTTSGT]

There is nothing on the concrete yet, correct ? No curing sealer or anything ? Because if the contractor who poured the floor used something like that, many of the chemicals mentioned above will take it off.

I'd probably take a razor blade and scrap the bigger globs of paint off and then proceed with lacquer thinner. (I have that on hand.)