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Nail polish remover is wonderful for removing – you guessed it – nail polish, but what about paint?
You might be stuck in a DIY situation where you’re struggling to remove some paint from a project, whether from previous painting or from accidental spillage or spraying.
Luckily for you, yes, nail polish remover does remove paint!
Nail polish remover is a type of solvent compound that is designed to remove tough materials in nail polish including synthetic resins, plasticizers, and nitrocellulose. The key ingredient in nail polish remover is acetone, which is found in paint remover solutions as it helps to break down molecular bonds.
Nail polish removers that contain acetone are only suitable for removing latex-based paints, oil paints, and uncured paints. People will know the struggle of removing the toughest nail polishes, so the acetone-based remover is ideal for removing tough paint stains as well.
You can use nail polish remover to remove paint on a variety of surfaces, including sealed stones, painted walls, ceiling, tires, laminated furniture, window panes, finished wood, carpets, leather material, and plastic material. This is because these surfaces are mostly non-porous and cured efficiently to withstand the chemicals found in nail polish remover without disrupting the color and texture of the original surface.
However, nail polish remover isn’t suitable for removing paint on uncured surfaces like fresh wood, unsealed stones, multi-colored surfaces, gas pipes, and of course, any surface that comes into contact with a naked flame. Scrubbing these surfaces with nail polish remover will affect the texture and color of the original surface, which can bleach or stain the surface rather than remove the paint.
If you’re planning to remove paint with nail polish remover, make sure to wear protective clothing including a mask and gloves as the chemicals can cause irritation and breathing problems.
Will nail polish remover remove paint from concrete?
Nail polish remover is great for removing paint from concrete! Concrete is a hardy material that is designed to resist impact from harsh chemicals, heavy objects, all weather conditions, and just about everything else – so a little bit of nail polish remover won’t affect the quality of the surface at all.
The only issue that might arise is that nail polish remover won’t be enough to remove an entire surface of paint on concrete. Concrete is a porous surface, which means the removal time of paint might take longer than on non-porous surfaces if the paint has been on the surface for a long time.
If you have been painting an outside wall and some paint has accidentally dripped onto the concrete floor, a nail polish remover is ideal. Almost everyone has a bottle of the stuff in their houses, and all you need to do is pour the liquid on the paint and scrub away. For tough paint stains, you might need to leave the nail polish remover on for longer.
If you’re worried about affecting the quality of the concrete with the nail polish remover, you can always test a small area of the paint-covered surface to see whether the liquid is strong enough to remove the paint without altering the color of the concrete.
Will nail polish remover remove paint from plastic?
Nail polish remover is ideal for removing paint from plastic. Whether you have had an accidental spillage, your DIY project has gone slightly wrong, or if you’re wanting to revamp a plastic surface, a nail polish remover will remove the paint easily.
Plastic surfaces are non-porous in the same way fingernails are non-porous. If nail polish remover can remove nail polish from fingernails with no problem, it’s sure to be able to remove paints from similar plastic surfaces. Likewise, nail polish remover can remove nail polish from artificial nails, which are made of plastic.
As with any harsh chemicals, it’s important to check if nail polish remover will affect the quality of the surface before you go scrubbing away. Whilst plastic is a good surface for nail polish remover, you should always test the surface with a small amount of the liquid. If it removes the paint from the small chosen area without affecting the surface, then scrub away!
Depending on the strength of the stain, you should apply the nail polish remover with a cloth or paper towel to the surface. Dab it on the paint and leave it for 5-10 minutes, and then scrub away. If the paint is starting to fade, then repeat the process until it has completely gone.
Will nail polish remover remove paint from wood?
Nail polish remover might be about to remove paint from wood, it just depends on how fresh the wooden surface is.
Finished wood is a suitable surface for nail polish remover to remove paint. This is because the wood had been prepped and cured before the layer of paint touched the surface, which means it has a layer of protection from harsh chemicals. This means that whether the paint was from accidental spillage or if you want to change the color of the paint, you can remove it from finished wood with nail polish remover.
However, nail polish remover is not suitable for removing paint from fresh wooden surfaces. Remember that nail polish remover is designed to remove nail polish from nails, which means it can only remove paint from surfaces that have been cured and sealed.
When applied to a fresh wooden surface, the nail polish remover won’t remove any paint. Instead, it will stain the surface of the wood into a brighter and bleached color, which can also corrode the area it touched. If you scrub the surface with nail polish remover, this can cause the texture to become rough and flaky due to corrosion.
If you want to remove paint from wood with nail polish remover, you will need to sacrifice a small area of the surface to see whether the liquid will be reactive. Finished wooden surfaces will not be affected by the chemicals, but fresh wooden surfaces will not respond well to it, and therefore the nail polish remover won’t remove the paint.
