# Acrylic Paint in Tub



## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

Trying to find out the best/easiest way to remove spilled "pearl-finish" acrylic paint from my bathtub. The painter cleaned his brushes in the tub, I guess, and didn't do a good job washing it down. Well, didn't do ANY job of washing it down, it looks.

It's been dried on there for some time now.

The tub is ... well, I'm not sure what it's made of. It's not ceramic or porcelain or cast-iron. It's somewhat plastic-like. Maybe fiberglass. Really dunno. Whatever it is, I'm quite certain that I'll scratch it if I attack the paint droppings with a scrub-brush and elbow grease, so I'm wondering if there's something that'll dissolve the paint (or persuade it to come easy, at least) but not harm the tub, the glue in the drains, whatever.

Thanks

jw


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

It is was a contractor/paid painter, did you call them about it?

This could work:

Stain Removal | Spot & Stain Remover | Goof Off

BUT, it could eat into the tub finish. Read the directions and test first.

BG


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## jaythorpe522 (Sep 7, 2010)

Yeah, I asked here 'cause I was hoping someone'd know whether or not something like that would kill the tub.

It's a professional painter -- and by that, I mean a not-long-out-of-jail former drug addict who sits around his apartment all day watching soaps and painting some seriously disturbing stuff that might be worth a lot if he dies violently, memorably, and/or young...

He did an amazing job of keeping about 3/4 of the trim clean in both rooms (but some is really sloppy, like he just didn't realize that that was trim, too...), both carpets are spotless, but there's a dime-sized splat of paint in the middle of the hallway (hardwood) and he didn't clean out the tub.

I fear that if he came back he'd take the wire-brush approach to cleaning it, and I think cleaning it myself & cutting losses there is the best way to go.

Someone insert some scolding remark below about always hiring a licensed whachamadoozle, please and thank you.

jw


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

Acrylic latex?? Years ago I used denatured alcohol to removed dried paint from wood trim/plastic laminates, etc. on many construction sites.


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

The problem is that is it has been dried some time. Going to hard.

BG


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## Gadsden (Mar 10, 2012)

May sound corny and too easy...
How about holding an ice cube over one of the spots for a few minutes and then trying a thumbnail to pry it off...maybe even in one piece. Worth a try.


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